Disasterology
by FloraIrmaTylee
Summary: Zombie Apocalypse AU. ROTBTFD. Jack's a dedicated zombie hunter with his team, and when said team decides to join another group of survivors, he finds himself in a rocky relationship with the other group leader, a beautiful girl by the name of Elsa. His emotions with her travel from hate, to attraction, to eventually...love. Cover by quarterofamind. For Yamakiri. COMPLETE.
1. There were shadows and death

**Now, I don't normally write for this couple, and if you follow me as an author and don't ship this then I'm so sorry but don't worry I'm not giving up on my ultimate OTP. This is a gift for a fanfiction friend named Yamakiri, who liked my other Zombie Apocalypse AU, and requested another one. So this is still inspired by the Dramione fanfic, "The Fallout", which I recommend if you're a Harry Potter fan that ships Draco/Hermione. Just a warning- there may be children that go on archives I don't know but it's rated T for language, it could get a bit gory, but mainly language 'cause I drop the f- bomb like a lot of times. Okay! So- uh- I'm still pretty bad at these things but- Oh and btw the picture is by Milady666, whose artwork is to die for. (She's also a dramione shipper- *wink wink*) Plus, the story title comes from Pierce the Veil's song Disasterology, because their album Selfish Machines is my favorite. So if you want to hear a song while you read, that's the one! **

**"_Can we create something beautiful... And destroy it?_" **

* * *

**January 18 **

It was fucking cold, and Jack Frost was tired of waiting. He sighs, shifts his weight from one foot to the other, and growls, the sound prodding the back of his throat impatiently.

Then he crosses his arms, scowls at the floor, and looks up at the sky to scowl some more. The cold wasn't the issue, he just wasn't a patient man. He prides himself on being kind, but when the one person he's waiting for decides to disappear off the face of the earth, he's unhappy because that means extra time spent exposed, and by definition, the possibility of dying much higher.

"Jack," the one he's been waiting for calls, and Jack audibly sighs in relief. He had already begun ticking off other possible reasons for disappearances besides abandonment, and none of them were pretty.

The one who made him wait was his team member, a redheaded girl by the name of Merida Dunbroch, who's slinging a bag over her shoulder while she greets him. With crazy red curls, pale, freckled skin, and blue eyes, Merida was the kind of girl, had you known her in high school, would play on some sports team and dressed as she wanted. But high school is long gone. Now, Merida and Jack had found themselves stuck with another two people, a ragtag group of four that has to survive.

There's Jack, first of all. When disaster struck, when a zombie outbreak from government labs overthrew civilization, his parents and little sister were victims of it. Watching your whole family die pretty much messes you up then. He wandered around on his own, dedicated his life to destroying those who killed the ones he loved, and that's when he met Merida.

Merida had found Jack one day, almost shot him right then and there with a rifle because of his unnatural appearance. Jack had dyed his hair a pale white- and that made him an easier target. His blue eyes didn't help his case either. Merida's own family was gone, she had been separated from them, and didn't know if they were dead or alive. The two had originally hated one another, but begrudgingly paired up because two was better than one.

Then there was Rapunzel Corona, a sweet, bubbly girl they found in an abandoned apartment building. With a heart-shaped face, freckles that dotted her cheeks and button nose, green eyes with long lashes, and waist length golden hair, the girl was a beauty. She was particularly gifted in healing, and seemed to be born to nurture. Her mother had died, and she had been all Rapunzel had, so when Rapunzel met the duo, she had asked to join, to which they agreed since they could use a medic.

Lastly, there was Hiccup Haddock. A brunette boy with a round face, green eyes, and a scrawny build. His dad, the only family he had, had left Hiccup behind in order to kill zombies as a form of revenge over past settlements. Hiccup had been alone for about a week when his house was invaded, so as a result he was on the run. He had encountered Merida struggling with a gun one day, and when he fixed it, proving his knowledge on machinery beneficial to the three, he joined them.

Therefore, for all the shit they'd been through, Jack feels he had the right to growl an angry noise when Merida finally reaches him.

"Took you long enough," Jack snaps irritably, because he hates waiting around as if there's no danger. Merida can only roll her eyes and push the backpack she has slung on her shoulder towards Jack.

"There's yer supplies," she spat in her Scottish accent, "An' it's all we're goin' tae find if yer lazy arse won't help."

"Damn, Merida, half of the sodding houses are on fire and the ones that aren't are full of them!" Jack says angrily, rummaging through the sack. There's some food, some weaponry, but like Merida said, not much.

"Full o' them. Ah don't care," Merida snaps like Jack had done, because while Jack isn't a patient person, Merida could give him a run for his money were they in a competition about whose temper could get lost first. "Yer just gonna go in there, look for food or something we can use, and that's it."

"Fuck," Jack whispers darkly, runs his hands through his head of bleached pale hair, and finally snaps a crisp, "Fine."

Merida shoots him a look that indicates she'll be watching his steps, and she gives him a shove towards a house that's seemingly quiet. No movement indicates that there's anyone there.

Jack is about to open his mouth to say that the house isn't worth it, because it's a pile of rubble and anything salvageable has been either buried in bricks or gone by the time. Still, Merida pushes past him into a poorly reconstructed room, her face white and a weapon held at the ready.

Jack catches on that there's movement there and whips out his own weapon of choice, a rifle that he points with her. Merida stealthily walks towards through the collapsing doorway, and Jack follows somewhat reluctantly. They're met with the sight of some people pointing weapons straight back.

Jack is glad that it wasn't some of... _them_, but at the same time, no one budges and they don't lower anything either. So he doesn't.

There's two girls and two boys, just like their own survival team. A girl has auburn hair collected into two braids, and blue eyes brought out by the freckles that heavily dotted her skin. The other girl has blond hair pulled into a braid, bangs covering one eye, but Jack could tell she has blue eyes. The male that accompanied the auburn-haired girl had blond hair and a thick build, with brown eyes. The last man, standing next to the blond girl, had brown hair, brown eyes, and a growing beard of the same dark brown. All of them had weapons, all of them trained on Merida and Jack.

"Are ye goin' tae kill us?" Merida's voice challenges them as she speaks. There's quiet, until the blond girl speaks.

"Are you planning to kill us if we drop them?" she asks.

"No," Jack growls, because he's at his wit's end trying to find a catch. The blond slowly lowers, the rest of her team following suit. Jack and Merida reluctantly let their weapons down as well.

"Survivors, I can see," the blond says, and jerks her head in a manner that makes her choppy bangs fly over her forehead. "My name's Astrid." She points towards the other girl. "That's Anna." Moving on to the males, the blond and the brunette, she says, "That's Kristoff, and that's Flynn."

"Merida," Merida finally says, still wary about them all. She turns to the one fourth of her team and raises her eyebrows.

"Jack," Jack finally mumbles.

"This house isn't good for pickings," Astrid tells them, and she and her team start setting aside their weapons. "You ought to get a move on. We're just staying here until one of our members gets better."

"You all seem fine," Jack says, irritated because he's being ordered. Fucking survivors were always so possessive of crap that wasn't even theirs.

"Not us, the leader of our team," Astrid says, and that surprises both Merida and Jack, as they assumed the bossy blond to be the authority figure. "She just won't leave this room in the house. We've been trying to leave for days."

"We're really worried about her," Anna says quietly, and Jack can see the tears that swell in the girl's eyes. Kristoff wraps his arm around Anna's crying form, and she lets him, sniffling. Jack rolls his eyes because foolish love never works in dire situations, but is distracted by Merida speaking.

"Don't ye have a medic?" Merida asks. "What's wrong with her?"

"Heck, if we knew, we'd be out of here already," Flynn says, sighing and looking so annoyed.

"Well, good luck with that," Jack says, but someone else's words are spoken at the same time his are.

"We have a medic. She can help."

Jack stares at Merida like she's gone off the deep end, about to say that they have to leave, but Astrid's mouth curls into a smile and she clamps Merida's shoulder in a form of gratitude.

"That'd be great," Anna says, her tears subsiding as she pulls away from Christo- Kristoff. Damn, why did he have such a confusing name?

"Ah'll get her," Merida says, and pulls Jack away.

"What the fuck, Dunbro-"

"No," Merida cuts Jack off before he can continue. "We're doing this fer everyone, Frost. We'll survive if we join the five o' 'em."

"Join them? Hell no," Jack snaps. "We're doing just fine on our own. We don't need more fucking numbers, Dunbroch."

"Yes, we do," Merida's eyes flash with dangerous fire, as if she's warning Jack not to double cross her.

"Have you forgotten who's the leader here?" Jack crosses his arms angrily.

"Have ye forgetten who saved yer sorry ass so many times?" Merida shoots back. "We're joinin' 'em. Ah'm goin' tae get Rapunzel, and she's going tae check out the leader. Then we'll see if we can go along with them."

Jack utters curses, sure that he's calling Merida things his mother would've been ashamed of, but finally hisses, "Fine!" He tosses his hands in the air. "Fine. Get Rapunzel. This better be worth it."

Merida doesn't utter a word of thanks, which Jack as much as expected, but instead she gives Jack a rough yank towards a house a few meters away.

Jack follows her in silence, brooding like a grown man who does not get his way can. He doesn't like the lot they encountered, any of them. Anna seems like a weak fool, Kristoff a big lug, Astrid a conniving bitch, and Flynn a sneak.

In short, it took him enough time as it was just to trust Merida. Why the hell would he trust strangers in such short notice? Damn girls and their intuition. Merida probably wasn't right, anyway; he'd just wait for her trust to crash and burn.

They stop in front of a safe house that they've been using for the past few days, a modern two-story that was abandoned much like all the rest. This one had stocks of canned foods, though, but not many. The four had been living off of canned food for as long as they could remember, so they still had plenty taken from other houses they'd ransacked as well.

Merida knocks on the door three times, once softly and two loud pounds. There's silence and then they're greeted by one single, sharp knock that they know means they're alive and well.

The door opens, and they're met with the sight of Rapunzel, who smiles even though the times don't call for it. "Hi," she says, and steps aside so that Merida and Jack can enter a messy living area, where the sounds of Hiccup's hums can be heard from an even worse kitchen.

"Hiccup's made a fire in the old metal stove," Rapunzel says cheerfully, pointing towards where Hiccup was. "He's heating some canned sausages. Dinner'll be ready soon." Her smile falters at the grouchy expression Jack has and the grim one Merida sports. "Something wrong?"

"What'dya think about helpin' some people out, lassie?" Merida asks. Rapunzel pauses because the question's rather foreign.

"I'm not sure I understand," Rapunzel says softly. "You've met- other people?"

"They need a medic," Merida explains, and Jack's silently sending Rapunzel signals of, _please don't do it_.

But of course, she's not telepathic, and she's just a sweet person by nature that Rapunzel says, "Of course I'll help!" She's already racing to a room just up the stairs to grab her first aid kit that she's made up of various supplies she had collected all over the weeks.

Jack makes a face to which Merida shoots a triumphant smirk in return.

Hiccup pokes his head out of the kitchen, and holds out a dented tin plate bearing the heated meat. "Want some?" he asks. "They're not the best, but they're better than when they're canned."

Jack takes a scorching hot sausage off of the table, scowling when it burns his fingers, but puts it into his mouth. He prefers it cold, he ultimately decides, and swallows as Rapunzel bounds into view.

"Sorry, Hiccup, we'll be back soon!" Rapunzel says, showing her kit and she's ushering Merida and Jack away towards the door. "Are you alright, or do you want to come?"

"Come-?" Hiccup questions, but just sighs. "I'll stay here." He's puzzled about why the three are rushing off, but he shrugs and goes into the kitchen.

Merida and Jack show Rapunzel to the house that the other survivors are staying at. Rapunzel's eyes sadden at its sorry state, and she's asking questions about who she's going to be examining, wounds, etc.

Jack's still upset by the fact that Rapunzel can't read minds so he lurks behind the two girls.

"This is Rapunzel," Merida introduces Rapunzel to the group, "Our medic. Where's your leader?"

Astrid jerks her head towards a door. "Here." Though the house is in a bad condition, this door's lock obviously works just fine by the way Astrid tries the doorknob and it refuses to open.

"Good luck," Flynn's figure is draped across the couch, with Anna and Kristoff sitting next to him.

"She's better if you approach her alone," Anna says, "So we'll leave." She ushers Flynn, Astrid and Kristoff away, silently communicating with them with wide and worried blue eyes.

Rapunzel knocks on the door. "Hello?" she asks, cheerfully. "My name's Rapunzel. What's yours?"

Silence greets them. Jack's ready to assume that these survivors are crackpots and that there's really no one behind that door, but there's obviously noise sounding there.

"Go away," the voice says sharply, a woman's voice.

"Please, I want to help you," Rapunzel begs now, her voice straining. "I'm a medic, I can-"

"_Go away!_" the voice repeats, this one much firmer than the first. "I don't want your help!"

Rapunzel flinches before the door, and something breaks in Jack, and he's striding towards the door and thumping on it angrily.

"Are you getting out or what?" he demands harshly, his fists beating the wood. More silence.

And then, "No."

"Are you hurt? Do you have wounds?" Rapunzel asks, and she's rummaging through her kit if the girl were to say yes.

But, "No."

Jack sits next to Merida again, still unhappy about the whole situation if they're stuck with this girl.

* * *

**January 26**

The girl still won't come out. And they were still stuck together. Hiccup, Rapunzel, Merida and Jack had joined the other survivors and decided that they'd be better off together. That was actually all Merida, Hiccup and Rapunzel's doing, because Jack preferred the four of them and that was it.

"Jack?" Anna approaches him as he's deep in thought, resting on a couch that's lost a lot of stuffing. She holds a covered dish in her hands, and presses it into Jack's hands. "Can you give this to Elsa?"

Jack rubs his forehead and accepts it with a sigh. "Who the fuck is Elsa?"

"My sister," Anna blinks in surprise as if Jack were slow. "You know. The leader."

Jack scowls because he isn't happy with the way he's no longer called the leader of the group. In fact, it seems like this "Elsa" wanted to ruin his life and he'd never even set eyes on her.

"Whatever," Jack mutters, and when Anna leaves, he settles for the disastrous task of getting Elsa to open her door.

He knocks hard at first. "Hey!" Jack snaps, "Open the door."

"Go away!" follows almost immediately. Jack massages his temples, trying not to get mad.

"Don't you feel bad at all?" he asks. "Leaving your team to try and save you when you obviously don't care what the hell happens to them!"

There's a pause. "They can leave me anytime they want."

"Good!" Jack kicks the door because his temper, while not usually one that flares, is on edge today and easy to corrupt. "Do you want the food or what, _leader_?"

There's more silence. "Don't call me that," Elsa says, and Jack's still picturing a faceless figure because he has no idea what "Elsa" looks like. Maybe like her sister, with strawberry-blond hair and freckles.

"Not my fault your group picked a weak leader," Jack says, because maybe getting her angry will result in her showing her face and accepting the fucking food.

"Just stay away," Elsa says from still behind her door, "And leave it by the door."

"Selfish ass-" Jack grumbles put places the dish down. He gives the door a scalding look. "I'm sorry, your highness, if the food us peasants deliver to your laziness is bad at all."

"_Go away!_" Elsa screeches then, and she sounds so angry, that Jack kicks the door and leaves.

* * *

**February 9**

Elsa finally leaves her room, after being confined there for weeks. Jack and the other guys are outside, watching the sun disappear in sunset, and drink some canned tomato juice when the news reaches them.

"Elsa's out!" Anna cries jubilantly, and she's pushing Kristoff towards the house eagerly. Flynn downs the last of his glass and he stands as well, looking towards Jack and Hiccup, who are the last ones there.

"Coming?" he asks. "You can finally get a look at our leader."

"That bitch?" Jack says, chuckling. "No." Flynn shrugs and turns to Hiccup, who goes with him, leaving Jack outside alone.

"Elsa, you need to feel the air!" Anna says from inside, and Jack prays that Elsa won't come anywhere near him.

"Anna, please, I'm fine," Elsa's voice, which Jack has come to know and hate, reaches his ears.

"Hi Elsa, I'm Rapunzel, a new addition to your team!" Jack can hear Rapunzel's introduction and can already see her smile even though she isn't in his vicinity.

Hold on. Your team? Who the hell said that this was Elsa's team? Jack feels his anger starting to bubble at each passing second.

"Pleasure," Elsa replies civilly, and Jack wants to hurl something at her mouth so that she won't talk again in that voice.

He hears Merida's introduction next, and Hiccup's, but Jack's made up his mind that he doesn't want to get to know her, of have him learn her name, anytime soon. So he broods again.

"Please, Elsa, you can't live like this!" Anna's voice sounds considerably nearer, and Jack catches his first glimpse of Elsa.

She's stunning. Hair bleached as white as his own that falls over her shoulders in soft bangs and is gathered in a braid. Blue eyes that radiate oomph and flash when she lays her eyes onto Jack's. Her skin is pale, her cheeks dotted with a few freckles, and she's tall with a slim build.

"This is Jack, another part of your team!" Rapunzel, who had followed the sisters out, says excitedly.

Elsa crosses her arms and eyes him warily.

"I'm Elsa," she says coldly, still in that voice Jack hates.

"Jack," Jack grits his teeth in response, hating this girl already.


	2. Got out alive, with scars I can't forget

**So, this chapter came out quicker than I thought it would, but I really liked writing my first zombie apocalypse AU so that might be the cause of my excitement for this one. Just a warning, guys- there's more language, obviously, and then there's sex references. Plus, there's a Human!Toothless/Hiccup for a sweet person named ****_tumblethorne_****, who ships Toothcup, and I figured I'd give her a bit of her OTP in there. It's still Hiccup/Astrid, though. So if you're not into that, refrain from reading, I won't take it personally. But this fic is about challenging myself, and thus, this was something I was excited to incorporate. Thanks so much for those who reviewed, faved, and followed! You've seriously made my day to see those notifications in my mail. XD**

**"****_Oh what a waste of a perfectly good, clean wrist. You were screaming till the police came_****." - Disasterology, Pierce the Veil**

* * *

**March 3**

"Why does Elsa always lock herself up in her room at three o'clock?" Rapunzel asks one day, curious as she and Anna wash dishes in water they've dragged from a river a long walk away. It had already taken them forever just to purify it, so she and Anna are careful in its usage.

Jack had already offered to help, but since it was he and Flynn that dragged the gallons of it into the safe house, Rapunzel had told him to sit down with a smile, and he did, resting on a torn couch that felt more like bricks covered in felt.

Anna dips a tin plate into the suds and contemplates the question, and when she finally speaks, her words are hesitant. "Elsa's been through a lot."

"What do you mean?" Rapunzel scrubs the plate with her fingers, her brow furrowing with intensity. Jack finds himself listening at the topic they're discussing, lifting his head up from where it rested.

"I mean-" Anna chooses her words carefully. "Elsa watched my parents die. That's how much I know. She blames herself for it or something, I assume."

"I'm sorry," Rapunzel says quietly, and Jack knows that she's remembering her own mother that died.

"It's okay," Anna obviously lies, because her voice wavers. "It was a few months ago, I'm over it."

Jack suddenly feels like he's intruding on something because Rapunzel hugs Anna close and murmurs reassurances against the girl's ear. So he ducks his head again and tries to imagine that the couch was actually soft enough for him to rest on.

"So how did you and Elsa find the rest of the group?" Rapunzel asks, and Jack raises his head yet again.

Anna and Rapunzel still wash, the water dripping sounding loudly before Anna speaks.

"Well, we found Kristoff and Flynn together," Anna says. "The two of them were searching for Kristoff's dog, I think. They joined us because Elsa insisted we'd be safer together. And then we found Astrid by herself, locked in a house closet, and she joined us."

"When did Elsa have the breakdown that made her stay in the room?" Rapunzel asks, switching to a new topic.

"You mean, the one where you came in?" Anna confirms before talking. "She freaked out. The safe house we were at had a dead body in there. Kristoff got rid of it, tossed it into a ditch, but Elsa hunched over crying that she could see my mom in the person. Then she locked herself in the room and refused to leave."

Jack's quick to snort at the weakness of Elsa, but he sobers because it's nothing but a girl who misses her parents. So he just slinks down in his seat again.

"And she's the leader of the group?" Rapunzel asks softly.

"Yes- she's the one who united us so-" Anna shrugs. "She's a good leader, but she's just so damn stubborn."

"I suppose," Rapunzel says, and she seems to notice Jack for the first time. "Jack, are you okay?"

Jack realizes that he's been gripping onto the sofa with hard fists balled into the fabric with an intensity that isn't his own.

"Yeah," Jack releases the couch and slumps down. "Just fine."

There's an awkward cough from Anna and she and Rapunzel continue the dishes.

* * *

**March 30**

The group has decided to build a bonfire. By "group", that meant that Rapunzel and Anna had the foolish idea of waiting until dark to light a pile of boxes and wood on fire and expected the entire group to huddle around it and sing.

Needless to say, there wasn't much singing.

Astrid sat next to Merida, while Hiccup sat on the other side of Merida, sweating nervously because Astrid kept leaning over to talk to him.

Anna sang a few old songs off-key with Rapunzel, and Kristoff sits by Anna, smiling when she nudges him to sing along. Flynn sits by Rapunzel and then Rapunzel's at it, also asking him to join in.

"Sorry guys, I don't sing," Flynn laughs smugly, to which Astrid gives him a hard shove. "Okay, okay!"

He joins the jubilant yells of lyrics, and Rapunzel laughs and leans on his shoulder.

Jack watches the festivities a safe distance away from the rest of them, making sure that the heat can't reach him. The floor he rests on is cold and damp and he prefers it that way.

Someone sits next to him, and Jack has to bite his tongue because it's none other than the team leader herself.

"Why aren't you by the fire?" Elsa asks, and smooths down a light blue dress she wears, but obviously doesn't care if it gets stained because she stretches her legs out into the brown grass.

"I could ask you the same question," Jack says back.

"I hate heat," Elsa says. "The cold doesn't bother me, anyway."

"I like the cold better," Jack agrees, and there's so much wrong with his sentence that he isn't sure what to do about it. First of all, him talking with Elsa is terrible enough as it is. Next, agreeing with her is out of the question.

"Yes," Elsa says, and scrunches her legs up to her chest, hugging them as if she's cold, but she doesn't even have goosebumps on her exposed arms.

Jack sits quietly and doesn't respond to that.

"There's a full moon," Elsa remarks, but Jack just shoots her a wary look.

"Right," he says. "Because I'm obviously blind and need you to point that out."

"Are you always a sarcastic shit or am I just lucky?" Elsa shoots Jack a rare smile, one that makes her look- well, not like she was super uptight like Jack assumed she was.

"Don't flatter yourself, toots," Jack responds, to which Elsa ducks her head and emits a low laugh, burying her head in her arms.

"I normally like being alone," Elsa says quietly, almost to herself, and Jack remembers that he should hate her for being a whiny, broken girl who couldn't get out of her room every afternoon.

"You do that," Jack stands up and brushes dirt off of his pants. "I'm just turning in early."

Elsa watches him leave.

* * *

**March 26**

"Are ye goin' tae take yer bath?" Merida leans lazily against the doorframe of Jack's room of the newest safe house, one that must've belonged to a small boy by the peeling and frayed decals of cars and trains of fading colors.

Jack's lying on a mattress that isn't so clean, in clothes too baggy for himself, and he hasn't washed up properly for three days so he figures he ought to.

"Are you implying something, Mer?" Jack asks, and looks up at the ceiling with a smile.

"Ah'm sayin' ye reek, Frost. Now git!" Merida waved at him to leave the room. "The bath water's all in the tub downstairs. Soap's somewhere there, in the living room."

"Always knew how to charm a fellow, don't you," Jack teases, but he slides off of his makeshift bed to do as she asks. "Alright. Where's Rapunzel and Hic?"

"Hiccup's still sleepin' an' Rapunzel's with that Flynn," Merida rolls her eyes. "He's been flirtin' with her left an' right, and she's an idiot to like 'im back."

"Thanks for the gossip," Jack says, and passes Merida in the doorway with a ruffle of the Scot's red curls, to which she scowls at him and swats at his back.

Sure enough, gallons of water that Kristoff and Hiccup must've collected the night before rest in the tub they had salvaged among stuff in the house. It had been cracked, but with a few duct tape pieces strategically placed by Hiccup, it worked well. Jack finds a wet bar of soap someone must've used before him and then sets to taking off the too-big shirt that was over his chest.

"Oh, it's you."

"The hell?" Jack whirls around to face Elsa, who's sitting on the couch and crossing her bare legs.

"What are you doing here?" Elsa asks, not in a hostile tone but sure as heck not a nice one either.

"What are you doing here?" Jack shot back.

"I wanted to be alone," Elsa snaps.

"Then go somewhere else, where the goddamn bathtub isn't!" Jack finds himself getting upset for something that he doesn't understand.

"No," Elsa says, the word seeming to be her whole fucking vocabulary.

"Go shut yourself in your room! Isn't it almost three?" Jack yells. Elsa's mouth closes.

"Who told you about that?" she asks, her voice low and dangerous. Jack doesn't answer. Her blue eyes are narrowing to slits of hatred.

"No one," Jack lies lamely.

"I knew it," Elsa says, turning to leave.

"What-?" Jack's unsure of what to make of her words.

"I don't need your pity!" Elsa whirls around to yell these words, her hands clenching into fists, and Jack gets mad because he wasn't even thinking of going down that path.

"Well, guess what, _your highness_?!" Jack yells himself after Elsa's retreating form. "You never had it in the first place!"

A slam of a door told him that Elsa has locked herself in again.

* * *

**April 8**

"We're going on a raid," Kristoff says, and he's placing a rifle over his shoulder and packing a bag.

He tells this to Jack and Rapunzel, who had been half-asleep on the couch after a boring game of I spy initiated by Rapunzel and to which Jack played reluctantly.

"I'll go," Rapunzel rubs her eyes and sits up, because she's the medic and she thinks that she has to go on every raid.

"No, you can't," Jack frowns at the girl he's considered like a sister, and doesn't want her to get hurt.

"Jack, you can come too," Rapunzel offers like that'll make him feel better.

"No, he can't," Elsa comes into view, loaded with guns and supplies like Jack was. "Rapunzel, you can join Flynn. Kristoff, you're with Merida. Only five of us are going."

"Listen, Rapunzel isn't going," Jack snaps.

"Yes, she is," Elsa says back.

"Jack, I am," Rapunzel sides with Elsa.

"Rapunzel, you can't," Jack turns his attentions to her.

Flynn and Merida enter the room, already geared up themselves and carrying extra for Rapunzel.

"Lass!" Merida holds up Rapunzel's clothing items and weaponry. "Get changed. We need ye."

Rapunzel gives Jack an apologetic look and leaves with Merida, but Jack isn't fuming at her. No, he's practically killing the team leader with his glare, were it possible, but Elsa only gives him a cool look in return.

* * *

**April 9**

Jack's trying to be by himself so he sits in the kitchen.

Of course, because he wants to be alone, he isn't alone.

"It's weird without Elsa here," Anna sits by him. "Isn't it?"

_More peaceful without Elsa_, Jack thinks, but what he actually says is, "Sure." _Why wouldn't she go away? _

"It's weird that I miss her," Anna admits, and looks at Jack. "She's always shut me out. Every time I try to talk to her, she won't talk to me. She won't talk to anyone unless it's to give orders- well, except for you."

"Me?" Jack's surprised.

"You remind her of herself," Anna says, like that should be obvious. "You two even look the same."

Look the same. If it were possible, Jack would've said that Elsa copied his white hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. However, it wasn't true, seeing as the two of them had kept their looks long before meeting each other.

"No, we're not alike," Jack says, wanting to keep denying that he and that witch were anything like each other.

"You guys are," Anna keeps talking. "Rapunzel told me. She said that you've been alone for such a long time. And Elsa's the same. She's cold, and distant, and she's fun if you get to know her."

"I am not fun," Jack snaps.

"Rapunzel tells me you were. Before everything," Anna says quietly.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't," Jack says.

"I think Elsa wants to be your friend," Anna says. "She's never had a real friend. Not even me."

"I don't want to be her friend," Jack stands up then. "Just leave me alone."

He leaves Anna alone in the kitchen.

* * *

**April 11 **

They come back safe, of course, and with new supplies. Elsa insists that they need to move to a new safe house, because the zombies could catch up with them at any minute.

Jack bitterly packs up the few items he has.

* * *

**April 28 **

Hiccup sits by Jack on the bed in the room that they have to share in the newest safe house, the one they've been in for a few weeks.

"I think I like Astrid," Hiccup admits. This, Jack saw coming.

"Good for you," Jack replies. "She's scarier than Merida. I think you've found yourself a real winner."

"Would you quit being an ass?" Hiccup lies back in the bed. "I'm serious."

"So was I." Jack flops down next to Hiccup. "Have you kissed her yet?"

"No," Hiccup says, and Jack feels like the conversation is getting too sentimental.

"Do it, then."

"I can't, she told me she likes Kristoff," Hiccup sighs.

"What is this, high school?" Jack scoffs.

"I know. Kristoff's got a thing for Anna," Hiccup says.

"I really could care less," Jack remarks, and Hiccup's quiet.

* * *

**May 5**

"Happy Cinco de Mayo," Astrid says blandly to Jack over a terrible breakfast of canned corn and carrots. She's sitting next to him, and Kristoff and Anna are washing dishes, while Rapunzel braids Merida's hair and Flynn watches. Elsa is nowhere in sight.

"I didn't know you celebrated that," Jack says.

"I don't," Astrid says in response. "I just know that it's today. Some Spanish holiday, I think."

"Whatever," Jack says. He puts a carrot that's lost its flavor probably years ago into his mouth.

"We need more food," Astrid remarks. "We're probably going to go on a raid. That means it's our time now."

"Joy," Jack chews the carrot.

"Rapunzel usually goes on all the raids, since she's the medic," Astrid says.

"Thank you for telling me that. I hadn't noticed," Jack says sarcastically. What is it with people treating him like a child?

"That means that Elsa's taking someone out," Astrid says guiltily. Jack rolls his eyes. _Oh, yeah, like he cares what Elsa-_ wait. _Astrid is guilty? _

"It's me, isn't it." What was intended to become a question came out as an angry statement.

Astrid's quiet. "Yeah."

"Figures," Jack says.

Astrid exhales and clamps a hand on Jack's shoulder, something foreign for herself. Jack eases out of her grip.

"You'll get the next one," Astrid says, and Jack hardly hears her.

"You're crazy if you think I actually like zombie hunting," Jack snaps. Astrid can see through him, though, even with her own tough exterior.

"Yeah," she says in an all-knowing tone. "Well, you'll get your chance."

* * *

**May 10**

Jack's sitting on the couch, watching as Merida laughs at some idiot comment Flynn's said, letting Flynn play with strands of her red curls. Today, the happiness she's radiating is annoying. Jack scowls.

There's a pounding on the door, followed by anguish cries of pain. Merida sits up right away, her hair falling from Flynn's fingers. She's on her feet in an instant, pulling the wooden door open wide.

Astrid's terrified face in the first thing they see. Tears are streaking down the girl's cheeks, and she's shuddering in a way that isn't, for once, confident.

"Move!" Rapunzel's cry overpowers all the sounds, and Merida hops out of the way. Jack stands, and so does Flynn, and the noise is enough to rouse Kristoff from his slumber.

Jack catches sight of Hiccup. His eyes are closed, and his clothing is dirty and ragged, his face colorless and his leg- oh God, his leg. It's wrapped in Rapunzel's shirt and bleeding red, the droplets hitting the floor. It's obviously not complete anymore, by its size. Jack wants to vomit, and he almost does, but Flynn's shove stops him.

Flynn grabs Rapunzel's hands in his and murmurs questions, asking if she's hurt, to which she hugs him close and sobs.

Jack's aware, for the first time, that Hiccup's being carried. By a stranger. One who is tall, tanned, with shaggy hair, a scarred face, and vibrant green eyes. He sets Hiccup down onto the couch, where Rapunzel immediately goes to tend to him.

Elsa walks in after them. Her face is expressionless, but her eyes convey sadness at the scene in front of her.

Jack finds that he hates her more than ever for letting this happen to Hiccup.

* * *

**May 13 **

The stranger's name is Toothless. At least, that's what he's called, anyway. Jack encounters him when he's going to visit Hiccup, because Hiccup's been in bed rest for three days.

"He's sort of awake," Toothless says in a quiet way. Jack wonders if Toothless is going to become part of their group. He surveys the man once more. He's intimidating and he seems cruel. And no one's given Jack any explanation as of how the hell he ended up with them. Jack gives Toothless a quick nod.

He enters the room, and Hiccup's dozing.

"You're an idiot," Jack announces, and sits on the foot of the bed, "What happened, Hic?"

It takes a lot of effort for Hiccup just to talk, and he coughs weakly before speaking. "House was lined up with explosives."

"And-?"

"I set them off when I stepped on one," Hiccup said. "The explosion almost killed me, so Rapunzel says."

"So, uh, who's the hulking gorilla out in the hall?" Jack jerks a thumb towards the door.

"Toothless saved my life," Hiccup admits, and he blushes red. "He carried me to Rapunzel, Elsa, Astrid and Anna."

"And then he carried you here," Jack clarifies.

"Yeah, I mean, the girls couldn't carry me," Hiccup says defensively.

"He joining, or what?" Jack stretches.

"No. Elsa mentioned since he saved my life, that he should, but-" Hiccup trails off. "He says he's a loner type. He's just sticking around for a few days, I guess."

"Probably to make sure you're alright," Jack says, and the statement's so weird that a silence follows.

And then, "Yeah."

* * *

**May 15**

Hiccup has fashioned himself a metal leg, since his leg was lost. He insists that it works fine, and brushes off Rapunzel's concern or Anna's worries.

Toothless is still there. Jack has to admit that he wasn't all too bad a guy. The two of them would often sit together, never really talking, but it showed they respected each other.

Anyway, Toothless had this whole mysteriously-sexy-dangerous aura that seemed to follow him wherever he went. In response, Rapunzel and Anna thought he was attractive and giggled like schoolgirls when he'd look in their direction.

Even Astrid and Merida would blush when he talked to them, and Jack had to hand it to the guy. The only one who seemed unaffected by his presence was Elsa, and she was always either locked up or avoiding them all.

Jack shared a room with Hiccup in the safe house, so when he went to bed, he had to make sure that the door was unlocked so that Hiccup could enter without problems.

As he's entering, Elsa passes by him, and she turns even paler, if that's possible.

"I'm sorry," is all she says as she walks past, and Jack understands that she's trying to make amends, and that she's trying to apologize for indirectly crippling Hiccup.

Jack's response is to slam the door.

* * *

**May 16**

"He kissed me."

Hiccup watches Jack's reaction, his face a bright pink, over a lunch of canned fruit and beans. The two of them were alone, and maybe that was what caused Hiccup to spill his feelings, and Jack chews the mushy pears he has in his mouth before speaking.

"There should be an _S_ right before that _he_, don't you think?" he smirks.

"_Jacck_," Hiccup drags the syllables out. "If you're going to make fun of me-"

"So you're telling me that the person who kissed you wasn't Astrid," Jack stated. "Go on, tell who was the reason you didn't come to your own bed last night. Please tell me it wasn't Flynn. The guy hits on anything that moves."

"No, it was Toothless," Hiccup admits. "He was just- I don't know, we were talking, and then he just kissed me."

"Did you like it?" Jack raises his eyebrow.

"Er- yes?" Hiccup says it like a question. "I mean, I like him. But I didn't think of myself- as- you know-"

"Gay?" Jack offers, to which Hiccup shoots him a look. "Alright, calm down. Did you two do the deed? Because that's really creepy to think about."

"Jack!" Hiccup exclaims, and he's turning and even brighter red, were that possible. "No, we didn't- He wanted to but I said no-"

"Ah. So you told him you were a virgin," Jack nods. Hiccup shoves his friend.

"Will you shut up with those sarcastic remarks?" Hiccup says. "This is serious. I like Astrid, I mean, but there's Toothless, and- I might like them both."

"So you're bi, dude," Jack shrugs. "That's it."

The two continue their meal in silence.

* * *

**May 20**

Jack's still trying to be alone, but it's unsuccessful. Because while he thinks the alcove of the new safe house is one that's easily hidden, obviously it's still found by Merida, who sits next to Jack and scrunches up her knees to her chest.

"Ah slept with him," Merida says quietly, and Jack turns to her.

"Flynn?" he asks, reminded of Hiccup's dilemma. Merida gives him a horrified look.

"No. Toothless," she says. Alright, so this was very much like Hiccup's problem.

"He and Hiccup fooled around a few nights ago, you know," Jack says, and he can't resist making it a sing-song. Merida smacks his knee.

"Ah know that, Frost!" she says. "That's why we slept together. He's upset about Hic and I just-" She ducks her head onto her knees, and her next words are said in a way that makes her seem scared. "Ah shouldn' be actin' like a hormonal teenager, for Christ's sake!"

Jack puts his arms around her. "It's alright. It'll get better. Besides, Toothless has been here for a week or more. He'll leave soon."

"Ah was worried," Merida chokes out, and Jack can tell she's crying. "Worried that no one's goin' tae want to be with me- and then he was there an'-"

"Don't worry about it," Jack says, pressing his face into Merida's curls. "He's just a whore."

Merida's chortle of laughter brings a smile back to Jack's face.

* * *

**May 25**

Astrid found out about Hiccup and Toothless. Jack had been sure that Hiccup's feelings were one-sided, but by the way Astrid fought with Toothless every chance she got, Jack figured that maybe Hiccup and Astrid were still sweet on each other. Well- sweet wasn't really a way to describe them.

Toothless leaves that day, and he hugs Hiccup for far too long, so that Astrid has to shove him away. He does the same with Merida, though, and he mutters things into her ear that makes the big brother instincts in Jack flare.

Elsa actually stays outside for once. She gives Toothless a professional nod. "If you ever wanted to become part of a team, you've got a place here," she says. Astrid recoils to that.

Jack rolls his eyes at Toothless's departure.

* * *

**May 26**

"It's not my fault," Elsa says softly to Jack, running her fingers over his fist that's clenched on the table. "He strayed from the group."

Jack feels his other fist clench. "So you're saying Hiccup's the one who got himself messed up."

"It's been weeks! Hiccup's fine with it!" Elsa says. "Why are you the only one still upset over it?"

"Because he's my friend, and he doesn't have it in his heart to hate you!" Jack snaps. "But I do."

He leaves Elsa there, not caring if he was the only one she liked to talk to. He didn't want to even look her in the eye.

Her words, though, made him think. Why was he the only one who wanted to keep blaming Elsa for Hiccup's accident?

Maybe, just maybe, he needs a reason to keep hating her. Because if he can't vent out his frustrations on hunting, he needs to do it on a poor girl whose only crime is replacing him.


	3. Silence makes a good man convert

**Omfg I suck at action scenes soooo much heheh so that's the reason for the suckiness. My chapters to this will always be long, because I just write random drabbles that don't make any sense at all but somehow I try to make it a convincing love story and they're not even at a love stage yet. Plus I can't write Jelsa, guys, it's frustrating me that they're so ooc. But it's based on a Dramione fic so Jack is soo much darker than he usually would be. Yup. I want to crawl into a hole and die of shame. Annnd I want to thank some amazing people for reviewing, because they're so great: **

** qdon**

**First Movement **

** DeniseAgron **

** CocoVanillaMilk **

**AliceInNeverland **

**Guest **

** Merlin's neon spotty left sock **

** tumblethorne **

** Immortal-99 **

** sunnyjoeman **

** bs13 **

**And if you are not a guest and one of these amazing people and I haven't responded to you yet, I shall sometime soon, hopefully. **

**This chapter's song quote describes both Jack and Elsa in the fanfic, or at least I think so: **

**_"This kid back in school, subdued and shy. An orphan and a brother and unseen by most eyes. I don't know what it was that made a piece of him die, Took a boy to the forest, slaughtered him with a scythe. Stamped on his face, an impression in the dirt. Do you think the silence makes a good man convert?"_**** \- ****Don't go ****by****Bring Me the Horizon. **

* * *

**June 4**

Jack rouses himself up bright and early, stretching his sore muscles and almost hitting his head on a baby mobile that loomed over his mattress. Of course, given his luck, the room he got once belonged to a baby girl.

He groans and shuffles out of the room, slamming the door behind him and sighing. Light is only beginning to filter through the cracked windows that surround the house, and Jack actually feels a surge of pride because he's the first one awake.

When he goes into the kitchen, though, he hears movement and groans, assuming it to only be one person, a certain redhead with an affinity for a type of fruit. "Merida, I swear to God, if you're eating all the apples again-"

There's more sounds, a raspy voice that's attempting to speak, and Jack keeps talking. "Canned apples taste like shit, Mer-" His words are ultimately cut off by the sight that he encounters.

There's a zombie there. The look of it is enough to make Jack pale and back away, almost tripping over a fallen chair. Its flesh, or what is left of it, is an acid green and is peeling off, revealing bones that are rotted. Straggly hair falls from its scalp in clumps here and there, and their fingers, hunched over like claws, extend towards Jack. No. This is too familiar. _His mother was the first to go... and Jack thought she had been in the kitchen. _

Jack's running through the hallway, and he bangs on the first door he comes across urgently, his knuckles hurting from the force of impact. He can hear it shuffling, and he can hear it approaching, and he does not have in weapon in his vicinity. His only hope is that someone will shoot it before it can reach him, or anyone else.

_His father went next..._

"Get out!" he screams, and he's no longer the man who prided himself on being a leader. He's a scared teenage boy who's remembering his past. His knocks get harsher still, and his knuckles are rubbing raw and red. "Get out..."

_"Emma," Jack had sobbed over his little sister's body, clutching her lifeless face in his palms and staring at her eyes, that stayed shocked and terrified, frozen in that position. "Emma, why- why wouldn't you open the door? Emma." _

Jack continues his pounding, sure that the creature will reach him if the person won't fucking open, but the door flies outward, and Jack's greeted by Elsa, whose eyes flash anger, but one look at Jack's face changes everything.

"There's-" Jack exhales, and he's trying to tell her that there's a zombie, but instead, he shudders a sob, and tears are streaking from his eyes. Elsa understands, though, and she's rushing towards the other rooms, yelling what Jack can't.

Jack crumples onto the floor in front of Elsa's room, silently whispering for Emma to open the door.

* * *

**June 6**

They had found a new safe house, since they had to abandon the other one. The zombie had been alone, thankfully, and was shoot dead once more by Kristoff before it could reach anyone.

Only Elsa knows of Jack's moment of weakness, and she doesn't comment on it. She no longer tries to talk to him, either. Jack, who had felt that the action would've been welcomed before, is no longer sure if he misses Elsa's company.

Missing it, though, was actually not quite welcomed yet- because Jack always pushed her away. And Elsa did the same to everyone else.

Today, though, Elsa's alone with Jack.

"You lost her, didn't you?" Elsa asks randomly, sitting next to him on the couch. "Emma."

"How do you-?"

"You talk in your sleep," Elsa looks down at her hands, and can't look Jack in the eye.

"I did," Jack says finally, and shifts backward, deciding to let the creepy factor about Elsa watching him sleep go. "I couldn't save her."

"I know how that feels," Elsa says in a strangulated tone of voice. She turns to Jack, and he can see tears beginning to glisten in her blue eyes. "Do you know why I lock myself in a room at three o' clock?"

Jack opens his mouth to speak, but Elsa grabs his hand and clutches his fingers in hers tightly. Alright then.

"It's because I could've saved my mom and dad. They died in front of me, I was hidden, I could've gone out to scare the zombie away," Elsa says, and it comes out in shudders. "This happened at three o' clock exactly. I remember the clock chiming three. And I locked myself away from Anna."

Jack doesn't know what to say to Elsa. So instead, he offers her his shoulder.

She burrows her face in it and sobs.

* * *

**June 15**

Hiccup sits by Jack and sighs. "She's gotten in again."

Jack doesn't even have to ask who he's speaking about. Since he and Elsa spoke, Elsa hadn't gone running to her room at three anymore, but it seemed she had today.

"Wonderful," Jack replies sarcastically. "Why don't I just get her out with my amazing powers of persuasion."

"Sure," Hiccup says, and Jack does a double take because he's not even serious.

"Hic, I was kidding," Jack clarifies.

"She only talks to you, Jack," Hiccup shrugs. "You know that if anyone can talk her out, it's you." Jack exhales and frowns.

"I hate you," he decides. Hiccup smiles after Jack's retreating figure, knowing that Jack will do as he he jokingly referred to because he isn't heartless.

Jack knocks on Elsa's door.

The expected "Go away!" follows almost immediately. Jack sighs and rests his forehead against the cracked wooden door, praying he wouldn't get a splinter on his forehead of all places.

"It's me," he says gruffly. "Look, everyone's tired of your shit, _Queen Elsa_. Are you coming out?"

He expects harsh words, he expects yells, but what he doesn't expect is a small laugh from inside the room. Then, slowly, the opening of the door. Elsa's grin winks back at him, and she's still giggling like a child.

"My dad," she smiles. "My dad used to call me Queen Elsa." That's the only explanation she gives him before she envelopes him in a hug.

"Uh-" Jack says awkwardly. Elsa pulls back, her hands on Jack's shoulders, and laughs again. She's too happy for Jack's liking. Her eyes are shining and twinkling and then she's hugging him again. Maybe it meant she... No. His thoughts could not even sink to liking her, absolutely not. She was disturbed, she was mental, she was on the brink of insanity.

Maybe that was why Jack hugged her back.

* * *

**June 30**

_Ah fuck_. Still no sleep, for what, the umpteenth night? Jack thinks as he sits up groggily. His mattress creaks in protest of him getting up as he slides off it, opening the door to bright light. When it couldn't get any worse-

"Mornin', sleeping beauty," Merida passes by Jack with a saucy wink and toss of red curls. Jack, though his mind is still waking, can tell a dig when he hears it.

"Mer, I'm touched and all that you find me a beauty, but you're not my type," Jack's quick to tease back, a smirk tugging his lips, and he's rewarded with a scowl from Merida.

"About time yer arse woke up. It's already noon, Frost," Merida says, whirling back around to level him with a glare.

"Is it?" Jack yawns. "I had no idea." His sarcasm's still there, though he really did have no idea about the time, and Merida sends him off with a roll of blue eyes and jabbers of things in that damned thick Scottish accent he can never fully understand.

Breakfast is around a countertop because this safe house has no table. Actually, it did, but that table was broken beyond repair, and the trusty duct tape could not save it. And breakfast is, naturally, more canned food and terrible canned food at that. It's tuna and some mushroom soup that Jack swears never touched a mushroom in its life. Still, he takes a bowl of the glop and plops onto the couch next to Hiccup and Anna, who are also finishing up food.

"Elsa was wondering where you were," Anna says casually, sipping from her bowl.

"Oh really," is all Jack says in response, taking his own taste of the food. Blegh. Beggars couldn't be choosers, though, so he continues drinking.

"Yes," Anna says, and Rapunzel passes by, to which she and Anna start giggling uncontrollably. Jack rolls his eyes. Damn girls just being girls. And acting like high school girls, too. This was goddamn all-out war, and girls are giggling because they assume something about Jack and Elsa. Something that he doesn't welcome either.

Kristoff and Flynn come over and sit next to Anna, and Kristoff engages Anna in a conversation almost instantly, so Jack turns to Hiccup, who's been silent.

"Fine weather we're having," he comments dryly, to which Hiccup sighs.

"What do you want, Jack?" he asks.

"Well, for starters I'll settle for a hey," Jack says. "But if that's too much, you can tell me what's eating ya. And it ain't the zombies, Hic."

"No," Hiccup says, "I don't want to explain it... But it's Astrid."

"Ah, so she's still coming onto ya or what?" Jack smiles. Hiccup pinches Jack's arm.

"No," he repeats. "She won't even talk to me. I think she's still upset about Toothless."

"Oh, him," Jack's done with his teasing and finishes his soup before leaning back on the couch. "He's water on the bridge, isn't he?"

"The saying is water under the bridge, and yes, he is," Hiccup says. "But what should I do?"

"You should kiss her," Jack offers, ever the helpful one.

"I can't just kiss her," Hiccup says.

"Why not?" Jack's grin is catching.

"Because I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I-" Hiccup groans, and Jack's grin is still there. "Oh, shut up."

"If you're looking for a wingman, look no further," Jack splays his arms out wide.

"Forget it."

"Ever the kind one-" Jack chuckles. "You hurt me, Hic."

"Please, Jack, just let me wallow in self-pity," Hiccup sighs.

"Sure," Jack says and leans back with Hiccup. "So, how about that weather?"

Hiccup laughs.

* * *

**July 4**

It's the Fourth of July, and any other human being would have expressed their joy at being free. Now, no one was singing the praises of freedom. Freedom fucking got lost, along with electricity, sanity, and fresh food.

That's the reason Jack downs a glass of vodka, enjoying the burning sensation, taking some of the alcoholic beverages that no one really drank. They were mainly used for medical purposes, but Jack felt that he was entitled to it due to the fact that Rapunzel and Anna decided to love rainbows and sunshine and mess up his beautiful silence with songs and shouts.

Alright, so there were two people singing fucking praises of freedom.

Not to mention the two overly excited girls decided to build a makeshift firecracker to celebrate, and they conspired with Merida and Astrid to get it done. That project was out in the front yard, Jack thinks bitterly as he pours himself another cup.

"Why is your hair white?" Elsa sits next to Jack at the table he's sitting at, and gives him a stare.

Jack takes a gulp from his cup before answering. "Why is yours?"

"I asked you first."

"Yeah, well, I asked you second."

"That doesn't even make sense," Elsa cracks a smile towards Jack and laughs. Jack tries to force a smile, too, but he hiccups. Maybe he's been drinking too fast-

"I dye my hair," Jack says, "Because I want to."

"What, no tragic backstory?" Elsa grabs Jack's glass and takes a sip before screwing up her face and letting it back down.

"Sadly, no. You can play psychologist and tell me it's because I want to forget my past life and some shit, but I really don't," Jack says. "I wanted to look different. So I use hair dye."

Elsa's quiet for about two seconds before she speaks. "So you're gay." What should've been a question was a statement, and it was said with a superior, teasing tone.

"If I'm gay, so are you," Jack doesn't care if his comebacks are lame anymore, and he smiles when she laughs.

"What straight guy dyes his hair?" she asks.

"Sexy ones," Jack replies almost instantly, to which Elsa only laughs harder, her hard exterior falling away for once.

"Sure," she says.

"Well, what's up with your hair, then?" Jack asks next. Elsa's mirth fades away slowly, and she's still happy as she replies.

"I always loved the snow, even when I was little. So when I could, I dyed my hair and kept it that way ever since."

Jack nods.

Suddenly, an explosion rings and shakes the house, a flash of light igniting. Elsa and Jack both turn, and Astrid and Merida come crashing through the front door, their faces ashen, covered in soot, and their hair tarnished with thick black specks.

"The firework exploded," Astrid says nonchalantly, as if there wasn't anything in her blond braid, and cocked her hip. "It was awesome."

"Ugh," was Merida's response, and she shook her crazy red curls, curling her lip in disgust. "It was gross."

Elsa locks eyes with Jack, and they both laugh.

* * *

**July 8**

"Astrid kissed me."

Hiccup says these words with a smile, and he's staring down at Jack while Jack's lying on the floor and Hiccup's sitting on the bed. How they got to those positions was a rather long story called _The-bed-was-fucking-small-and-Jack-did-not-want-to-share-it-with-Hiccup-because-Merida's-quips-about-Jack-being-gay-were-not-welcome. _

"That's great for you," Jack says blandly. "Want me to throw you a celebration party?"

"Ass." Was Hiccup's smiling reply, and Jack grins up at his friend.

* * *

**July 24**

Jack wishes that he'd brought more ammo. His gun fucking ran out after a few rounds of fire, and they're closing in. He's hunched behind a brick wall, hoping he's concealed from sight. He had already poured dirt and grime all over his hair in order for it to blend in. It felt sickening. He winces as more mud slithers down his neck.

He hasn't seen Rapunzel, Merida, or Kristoff yet. They had all gotten separated, after Elsa's strict orders of not doing that. Then again, Elsa had gotten herself lost too, so Jack felt perfectly fine with disobeying her orders.

Fuck. There's noises, lots of clanging from an alley not far from him. The noises they make are inhuman, raspy growls and attempts at words that no one can actually decipher. They, of course, also lost their lungs and heart and anything that can allow them to speak, so Jack can tell when it's his team or when it's them.

He slides along the alley wall, rough brick greeting his back, tugging at the black clothing he wears. His useless gun is hanging at his side, and if he's lucky and only encounters one, he might be able to stab it with a knife he carries or at least get away from it.

Crouching next to the wall, he groans at the sight of at least five zombies making their way through the alley. But then he hears it, a voice he recognizes, calling them towards it. Jack's out in an instant, no longer caring if he's bitten or killed without weapons.

Elsa decided to fucking play bait while the rest got away.

Jack can see Rapunzel, Merida and Kristoff off at a side, slinking away stealthily, while Elsa stands boldly before the undead creatures. Her own hair, also smudge in grime to avoid being spotted, has been cleaned out and washed to her white shine. The wet clumps stick to her neck, and she tosses them over her shoulder. Gone are the black clothes, they're replaced by a stunning white gown that must've belonged to a bride, and it's spotless white as well.

She's trying to catch their attention, and Jack hates it.

Elsa's backing away, no longer speaking, but she's beckoning them closer with a seductive grin and and swaying hips. Damn. So zombies couldn't get aroused, but if Elsa fucking kept it up-

It took all of Jack's self-control to stay in place when Elsa runs her tongue over her lips, and even more when those freaking zombies are getting closer to her.

He needs to get her out of there. But Rapunzel, Merida and Kristoff aren't home free yet. He can see that Merida's injured, she's limping and Kristoff's arm is supporting her. Rapunzel grabs Merida's other arm over her shoulder, and they move at a slow pace from Jack's point of view.

Elsa throws her arms wide, and she keeps moving, as if to show them that she's warm blooded and a succulent dish for them to eat. Jack riles, and he's reaching for his gun before he remembers that he's out of ammo.

Rapunzel and Kristoff get Merida away safely, and Elsa's eyes flicker to them running away before she starts running herself.

_Fuck. Did no one know what an effing gun was? _

Jack curses and he runs after her, because she can't run in that wedding gown. How the hell did she get a wedding gown, anyway? The zombies are getting closer to her, and she's lifting the skirt with her hands and scurrying away like a princess or something.

They've surrounded her, their bodies looming over Elsa. Elsa does the unthinkable: she trips, and she's on the ground, enclosed by the undead. Jack curses louder, and he reaches there, throwing himself onto the group, cutting off one's head, stunning the other one with a blow to the neck.

"Jack, what-" Elsa's protests are cut off, because Jack's on his knees and forcing his blade through the skirt of that dress, tearing it. "Hey!" Elsa snaps, blushing a deep red and attempting to cover her bare self, because Jack's ripped the entire skirt off until Elsa's left in the corset and her underwear.

"You can't run in the fucking thing!" Jack bellows, and he pulls Elsa up and they're running again. Great. _Fan-fucking-tastic_. They're getting closer again, those living corpses.

"Jack!" Elsa screams, because one of them is faster than the rest and hot on their heels. Jack's still cursing the universe so he hurls anything they have after themselves and hoping they hit those _things_.

Wonderful. This mission was a disaster.

* * *

**July 25**

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Jack yells into Elsa's face, and his hands pin her to the wall of the safe house. Her head hits the wall, hard, sending a rattle to her skull. "You could've died!"

"Merida was hurt," Elsa snaps, her eyes filled of hate, as she struggles to get Jack's firm grip off of herself. "Leave me alone!"

"Hurt or no, you don't play fucking hero while everyone else gets out!" Jack continues his harsh yells, his finger burying into Elsa's bare shoulders so hard he'll leave bruises.

Elsa hadn't even changed out of the torn wedding gown, and her less than decent self isn't even shivering in the cold. She claws at Jack's hands, and when that doesn't work, she tries to shove his chest and then after that kick him. All her efforts are wasted on Jack, however, and he just holds her tighter.

"Just stay away from me!" Elsa screams into Jack's face, her eyes wide in anger and her mouth stretching to pronounce the words with as much ferocity as her glare.

Jack still has a death grip on her shoulders, and he slowly releases it, letting Elsa fall backwards and rub the marks he's left. He turns as if he's going to leave, and Elsa does the same, but he pulls her in for an unexpected kiss.

His lips are cold, but so are hers, and they're sharing the same breath. His lip is split and Elsa can taste the blood as it trickles down his mouth. In comparison, her own lips are cracked from the cold and chapped. There's a taste of dirt between them, most likely from Jack's hair, which is still streaked with grime.

It's not all lips, it's mainly teeth clinking and Jack's frustration getting let out on Elsa. He nips and sucks and kisses harshly, and when he pulls away, he gives Elsa one last look before leaving.


	4. If I let you in, you'll just want out

**Another chapter for my beautiful readers, ya dig? Haha I'm slowly going crazy and this chapter won't make sense. But hey, there's a special someone who makes an appearance here. ;) Idk what he'll play in here, though. Hans is his name, you know, from Frozen? Anyone know who he is? I'd hope so. Maybe he'll be evil, maybe he won't. But he isn't with Anna even if he is this chapter. Pluuss I can't forget great people that I dedicate my chapter to: **

****Guest  
********Guest  
********tumblethorne ****

****rokusan23  
********Hauhuehue  
********Guest****

****Merlin's neon spotty left sock ****

****bs13  
********adylaidklug ****

****PriscilaOrglene ****

****AliceInNeverland ****

****DeniseAgron  
****

****sunnyjoeman ****

****First Movement  
****

****You guys all liked their kiss. ;) And mentioned that it could lead to some more adult situations, ha. Sorry but I don't write smut, guys. Mainly cause I find it just not to my liking- and unless it's got plot, I don't read M fics. And even then I skip the lemony parts. XD I could let you guys use your imagination, though- who knows, they could end up doin' the do, enjoyin' some frick frack. I've been spending too much time on Tumblr. ****

**This chapter's song: **

** "_How the hell did you ever pick me? Honestly, I could sing you a song, But I don't think words can express your beauty. It's singing to me, How the hell did we end up like this? You bring out the beast in me. I fell in love from the moment we kissed, Since then we've been __history_." If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn\- Sleeping with Sirens **

* * *

**August 2**

"It's laundry day," Rapunzel tells Jack when he comes into the living room. The latest safe house has a sofa that wasn't torn, so Jack sits on that, as well as a table, where Rapunzel has set up a tub full of water.

She has a bar of soap, and she's scrubbing at the cloth, when she notices Jack's thinking expression.

"The others all left," Rapunzel says heartily. "Astrid and Hiccup went for a walk together, aren't they so sweet? Flynn's still sleeping. And Anna, Kristoff and Elsa left for a ransack just this morning."

"They what?" Jack's on his feet on an instant at her last words. "Just three of them? They went on a mission?"

"No," Rapunzel tries to calm him down, shaking her head so that her golden hair cascades over her shoulders. With a flick of fingers, they're back behind her ears. "They just went to a nearby house. Elsa said that three was fine."

Jack slinks back down onto the couch. Elsa's name brought up unpleasant memories. Thoughts of her distracting those zombies, and the anger he felt. His anger was something that he didn't understand- why was he so angry that day? Elsa was risking her life to save Merida, Rapunzel and Kristoff, and he didn't even like her. He shouldn't care if Elsa lived or died.

But he does.

"Since they're gone, you can tell me what's bothering you," Rapunzel says, her hands washing but her eyes traveling towards Jack. Jack just smiles, because Rapunzel's too curious for her own good, and he stands to walk to where she's washing.

"You're not washing everything by yourself," Jack says, and he dips a shirt into the water. Rapunzel smiles her gratitude but nudges him playfully with her hip.

"That isn't going to work," Rapunzel says. "Changing the subject and being nice. You're upset; you have been for days. Just talk to me."

"It's nothing, Rapunzel," Jack says, and he's lying through his teeth when he speaks this. "Honestly."

"Is it a girl?" Rapunzel's green eyes are wide with concern. "Is it your family? Jack, you can tell me."

"Rapunzel," Jack exhales, but forces a smile and turns back to his friend. "Why don't you tell me about Flynn instead?"

Rapunzel's face bloomed a deep red, and she ducks her head, laughing quietly. "I- I think he likes me," she admits, and meets Jack's eyes with her own. "But I don't know what to do."

Well, if talking to Rapunzel about relationships was about as enlightening as with Hiccup, Jack considered his typical 'just go for it' that he offered Hiccup, but since this was Rapunzel, he thought it over. Then he scraped the entire thought process.

"Kiss him," Jack offers with a chuckle, and Rapunzel slaps his wrist, soapy water sloshing over his skin.

"I've never had a boyfriend before," Rapunzel tells him, and she continues. "I haven't even been kissed, Jack- what should I do?"

"You can just tell him that you like him," Jack suggests, "And tell him that if he tries to pull his 'player' moves on you that I'll kick his ass."

"Jaack," Rapunzel warns, but she smiles.

"Yeah, you're right. The guy could probably kick my ass if he wanted to," Jack chides. Rapunzel laughs and smiles at him, scrunching her nose up.

Jack continues washing and lets his own thoughts wander. Rapunzel was perfectly happy with possibly being in a relationship. Why was it so hard for him to admit that he felt, possibly, something for Elsa? His first thought was because she was a whiny brat who deserved everything horrible, but he knew that that wasn't true. In reality, she was just another girl.

No, he felt nothing for her. Jack tries to convince himself that, but she got under his fucking skin and she haunted him. It was her eyes. Those bright blue eyes that could shine like stars. The could be full of hate and the next time he saw them they could be smiling.

Rapunzel seems to notice that his anger's being let out on laundry, so she just smiles patiently and hands him more soap.

* * *

**August 3**

Jack's pretending to sleep early morning when Elsa, Kristoff and Anna come back. He can hear the door shut, and can hear Anna's excited chattering, and Kristoff's voice responses, and Elsa's own voice calmly telling them to be quiet or they'd wake someone up.

He can hear Anna immediately hush, and Kristoff follow suit, and then hear their footsteps when they walk away. Only Elsa seems to be rooted to the spot, because Jack never hears her footsteps.

When he does, they're quiet and delicate and they're approaching him.

Elsa shuts the door to his bedroom behind her, and she sits on a chair situated next to the mattress Jack's lying on.

"You can pretend to be asleep," Elsa says. "And you can pretend you have no idea what it is I'm talking about. But that kiss wasn't supposed to happen, Jack. You say that you hate me. And I've been trying to hate you, too."

Hold on- how the hell did Elsa find out that Jack hated her? Must've been Hiccup. No, he never told anyone. Unless he did and he forgot- And what was that about her trying to hate him in return?

"But I can't hate you," Elsa continues. "And it's because you remind me of myself. You're trying to shut everyone out because you don't want to hurt them. But me-" She laughs hollowly, and Jack's sure that she must be shaking her head or something by a rustle of hair, but he won't open his eyes at all just to check. Elsa keeps talking. "But you want to hurt me. The problem is, you can't. You actually care about my safety. And that's sweet and all, but I'm not the kind of girl for you. You deserve some pretty girl who's going to love you, and that's not me. I'm sorry."

There's a beat of silence, and then noise of Elsa tapping something. Maybe the floor, maybe the wall. But Jack's silent because he's processing what she's just said. She had basically said that she knew of Jack's growing affection for her- if affection could count as angrily kissing her. Either way, she knew he was awake. And she was waiting for him to respond.

Jack refuses to play her game.

"I might like you, you know," Elsa says carefully, probably to get a reaction. "But it isn't you. It's me that's the problem." The last part isn't said sadly, but rather matter-of-factly. She stands up then, because Jack can hear the sound of the chair scraping the floor.

Jack debates internally about letting her leave or admitting he liked her in return. Elsa turns the doorknob, and Jack, before he can continue second-guessing everything, sits up.

"Elsa!" he says. Elsa turns around to look at him, pausing in the doorway. She's positively radiating coolness as she crosses her arms and waits from him to speak. Jack tosses his blankets to the side and stands, somewhat awkwardly in front of her.

"I don't-" he winces as if it physically pains him to say this. "I don't hate you. And I don't want to hurt you, either. Please, just believe me when I say that."

Elsa nods slowly, her eyes an unreadable book. "I don't hate you either, Jack. I meant everything I said."

Damn her. Damn her to hell. Jack scowls, struggles, and tries to think of what to say in response, but he can't find the right words.

So he kisses her again.

* * *

**August 15**

They decided that a relationship was out of the question. Elsa was the leader, and while she no longer kept purposely Jack out of missions, she insisted that Jack was overprotective and that he kept trying to keep her, or any of his friends, out of the danger zones. Therefore, they began a heated argument when Elsa said Jack wouldn't be allowed to go.

Jack had insisted that he was doing it because he cared, and Elsa yelled right back that she was not a delicate little girl and could handle herself, as could any of the others.

The two ended up kissing angrily again, Jack and Elsa both drawing blood with the savage attacks on each other's lips.

When they parted, Elsa told Jack that he still wasn't going on the mission.

* * *

**August 18**

They come back, expectedly, safe. Elsa shoots Jack a challenging look, as if she's proud of it. Jack only does the most childish thing, he sticks out his tongue like he's a young boy on the playground again. The smile that lights up Elsa's face, and the sound of her laughter, is enough to let Jack know that embarrassing himself with that was worth it.

* * *

**August 25**

Anna was apparently missing. Elsa came back from her morning walk wide-eyed and breathing heavy, her eyes glistening with tears. Jack got, from Merida, that is, that Elsa had taken longer than usual that morning and Anna panicked, saying that it wasn't the first time that Elsa had ever run away and left in search of her.

After Elsa was told this by Astrid, Merida said, she had gone to look for Anna but apparently couldn't find her.

"Anna's going to die," Elsa sobbed, when she spotted Jack. "Kristoff said all her weapons were still in her room. She didn't take any food, she didn't take any clothes-" Elsa buried her face in her hands, shuddering another strangled cry.

Jack is unsure of what she wants to hear. The typical response is for him to tell her that Anna will be okay, that no one will rest to find her, but in reality, Anna's chances were already slim.

"I'll help you find her," Jack offers instead, and Elsa lifts her head, but instead of gratitude etched onto her features, there's surprise.

"No, you don't have to," Elsa says. "Kristoff and Flynn are out searching. Merida and Astrid, too. Rapunzel and Hiccup are staying to watch this safe house so that Anna can come back here- stay with them."

"Elsa-" Jack says, but Elsa shakes her head.

"No," she says. "You can't. You confuse me too much, Jack. I'm a headstrong girl, but you're stubborn too. Either way, I don't want you to. She's my sister. It's my fault."

"Damn you, Elsa, I'm trying to help, and if you keep playing the fucking hero-" Jack frowns.

"I'm not playing hero!" Elsa snaps. "Anna's in danger, and it's my fault, and I don't want you to get hurt either!"

"But you let the others," Jack raises his eyebrows. Elsa shook her head.

"I didn't. They left without telling me. Apparently Kristoff went behind my back and led the others out with him," Elsa says. "That doesn't mean that I'm letting you, either."

She tries to stay strong, but she's quiet and sits down on the couch. Jack can hear her cries start up again. Jack takes a seat next to her, awkwardly, and Elsa takes his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry," Jack says solemnly. "But- just stay positive. She'll come back." Elsa's head ducks low, and when she speaks, she's angry for some reason.

"Because you're such an optimist," she says. "Who are you to be telling me these things when you can't even talk to me without getting mad?"

"Listen, _your highness_, I'm trying to be nice here and tell you that your sister hasn't gone off and got herself killed, when that's the reality of it!" Jack snaps in response, because she should be fucking glad that he even tried to sugarcoat his words.

"I know what if feels like," Elsa says hollowly, like she hadn't heard Jack's last sentence. She turns her head to face Jack, and tightens her grip on his fingers. "To lose a sister. I actually know what it feels like now." Just like that, she can make Jack travel an entire spectrum of emotion in one conversation. Her sadness makes him regret what he had just said, so he leans forward to leave a long, lingering kiss on her forehead.

"She's going to be okay," Jack whispers, his nose knocking hers. Elsa nods back ever so gently, and lets Jack kiss her sweetly for once, minus the anger that they usually experienced in their kisses.

* * *

**August 26**

It seemed as if Elsa was worried again. Kristoff, Merida, Flynn and Astrid still hadn't returned, and no sign of Anna came either. Rapunzel was washing dishes in the kitchen, Hiccup was cooking dinner, but Elsa was frozen in one spot on the couch.

Jack enters the living area and goes to help Rapunzel with the dishes, or Hiccup with the food, but Rapunzel shakes her head from above a tub of water and tilts her head towards Elsa.

So Jack sits down next to Elsa and waits for her to talk.

"It's my fault," Elsa says, probably for the hundredth time lately in two days. "Isn't it."

"Yup," Jack says. "Completely your fault. It's pretty obvious that you brainwashed Anna to run away."

Elsa cracks a small smile, but it fades soon afterword. "I'm just worried."

"You've got a right to be."

Elsa faces Jack, her eyes shining with hope. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

_Honestly? No. _

"Sure," Jack offers instead.

The two sit quietly, even as the door opens to announce the return of the search team.

* * *

**August 27**

Anna comes back to the safe house, and she's fine. She's wearing different clothes, and brings a bag full of supplies that she's most likely stolen, and bears a large smile. She also brings a stranger with her.

Rapunzel, Astrid, and Jack were all sitting on the sofa, and sit up straight when Anna calls for them. Kristoff, Flynn and Merida had left on the daily run for water, and Elsa- well, she was still blaming herself more than she had the previous day. Jack catches a good look at the stranger- a tall man with auburn hair, sideburns, green eyes and freckles.

"This is Hans," Anna says jubilantly, and she's clinging to the man and giving him eyes that makes Jack want to retch. "Where's Elsa?"

_Being worried, you selfish, stupid little bit-_

"In her room," Rapunzel's eyes are worried. "Anna, we were all so worried-"

"I'll explain everything, okay?" Anna says quickly, and she pulls the man after her, down the hallway.

Rapunzel exchanges a look with Astrid, and Jack's already on his feet to go give Anna a piece of his mind, but by the look on Astrid's face, he isn't alone.

Just when the two get out of the living area, they can hear the voices speaking.

"Elsa!" Anna says excitedly, and she pulls Hans with her to Elsa's doorway. Jack can catch a glance of Elsa from the doorway, and her hair is loose from her typical braid and cascading over her shoulders. Her appearance mirrors the worry she had been expressing earlier, but now that Anna has returned, Elsa's manner is cool and collected.

"This is Hans," Anna continues, "And- well-"

"We were wondering-" Hans speaks for the first time, and Jack already doesn't like him.

"For-" Anna giggles.

"Your blessing-" Hans speaks for Anna.

"Of our marriage!" The two say simultaneously. Elsa does a double take, which Jack can see from his spot.

"Marriage?" she croaks out.

"Yes!" Anna says joyfully, clutching onto Hans.

"I'm sorry, what?" Elsa says.

"Well, we haven't worked out all the details ourselves," Anna says. "Obviously the ceremony's going to be small-"

"Anna," Elsa cuts her off. "Can I talk to you, please? Alone?"

Anna was visibly crushed at the prospect that Elsa wasn't going to accept her and his man she was claiming to marry. Elsa was obviously as confused about this "Hans" as Jack was. Astrid shoved Jack to the side, still watching Elsa and Anna's exchange.

"No," Anna took a step back, clutching Hans's hand. "Whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us."

"Fine," Elsa says crisply, with a toss of her hair. "You can't marry a man you've just met."

"You can if it's true love," Anna says firmly.

"What do you know about true love," Elsa says exasperatedly.

"More than you! All you know is how to shut people out," Anna insists.

Elsa is taken aback by that, but regains her composure. "You asked for my blessing, but my answer is no. Excuse me." She brushes by Anna and Hans, and Astrid and Jack stumble away from the hallway so that she can't notice they were eavesdropping. Elsa pauses by Jack, who's shoving Astrid to the side in order to escape.

She keeps walking.

* * *

**August 28**

"So, who's this Hans?" Jack asks Elsa once they're alone in her room. Elsa's lying on the bed, Jack's sitting on the vanity. Elsa looks up at the ceiling when she speaks.

"Apparently he saved her life when she was in trouble." Elsa lifts her hand to trace circles on her bed sheet. "Anna thinks she loves him. So she wants him to be part of the team."

"And you said-?"

"I said yes, of course." Elsa props herself up on one elbow and frowns. "I love Anna. But I don't really like this Hans- he's too sudden, he's too-"

"Jealous," Jack announces, leering at Elsa.

"I am not jealous," Elsa says, cracking a smile towards Jack. "What's to be jealous of?"

"You're jealous that Anna's replacing you," Jack smiles triumphantly. "For some guy."

"What?" Elsa sits upright at the accusation. "No!"

"Yes, you are," Jack gloats. "I can tell. Anna's replacing you for this dude and you're jealous."

"No," Elsa flops back down to face the ceiling. "I mean- I don't think so." She turns her head as to see Jack out of the corner of her eye. "Do you trust him?"

"I don't know him," Jack says. "But I'll get closer to Anna. Find out what she knows about him."

* * *

**August 29**

"You got engaged to a man you met that same day?" Kristoff is telling Anna when Jack thinks she's finally alone and that he can talk to her. "Did your parents ever warn you about strangers?" Well, since Jack has a knack for inviting himself, secretly and hidden away, he listens in.

"Hans is not a stranger," Anna defends herself, her voice dreamy at the thought of him. Anna must really be daft not to notice Kristoff's attentions to her, Jack thinks, because even a blind man would be able to tell that Kristoff harbored feelings for her.

Kristoff scoffs. "Oh yeah? What's his last name?"

"Of-the-Southern-Isles," Anna's quick to respond.

"Favorite food?"

"Sandwiches."

"Best friend's name?"

"Probably John."

"Foot size?"

Nervous laughter ensues. "Foot size doesn't matter."

"What if you hate the way he eats?" Kristoff asks. Jack stifles a chuckle, because it's making itself pretty obvious that Anna knows nothing about this perfect-seeming stranger and that Kristoff is jealous.

"Hans loves me," Anna says stubbornly, "And I love him too. That's it."

Kristoff continues with something about noses, and Anna gives a disgusted reply, but Jack enters the room then, just to surprise them all.

"Not interrupting something, am I?" Jack grins at the pair. Kristoff's standing in front of Anna, and Anna is so tiny that she barely reaches his chin.

"No," Kristoff grumbles, "I was just leaving." Jack steps aside to let Kristoff pass by, and then he turns to Anna and smiles.

"Hi, Jack," Anna says with a sigh. "Do you need something?"

"Just wondered if you wanted to talk," Jack says, taking Kristoff's spot. "You know, about stuff."

"About stuff, huh?" Anna smiles. Then her smile falters. "Did Elsa send you?"

"No," Jack says, "I just needed someone to talk to. So- where's the lucky man?"

"Hans went with Astrid and Hiccup for the water," Anna says, and her smile returns. "He's really trying to be part of the team. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, great," Jack echoes. "So, what's his story?"

"He used to travel in a group of thirteen," Anna gets a faraway look in her eye. "He has twelve older brothers, you know. He never really belonged in that team, and he said he was always looking for his own place. And he met me, and I invited him to join."

"And you knew him-?" Jack prompted.

"What does it matter if I love him?" Anna asks.

"It doesn't, but I'm just wondering-" Jack sighs. "Do you trust him?"

"Yes," Anna said instantly. "He saved my life, Jack. He completes me. We're- we're meant to be!"

"Alright," Jack says. "If you trust him, that's enough for me." Anna's grin is so wide, it appears to be stretching her cheeks.

"Thank you, Jack," she says gratefully.

When Jack leaves, he still doesn't trust that Hans guy.

* * *

**September 15**

Jack encounters Hans by himself one day, sitting in the kitchen over breakfast of tomato soup that Krisoff had prepared earlier that morning. Hans scoots over so that Jack can take a seat, and offers an extra bowl.

"Thanks," Jack utters, and sticks a serving spoon into the congealed red mass that was supposedly soup. Gross. He serves himself a heaping portion and takes the seat that Hans has cleared away from and takes a spoonful. It tastes as bad as it looked, but Jack shrugs and continues eating.

"Your team," Hans breaks the silence, "Does it have a leader?"

"Yup," Jack flattens his soup with the back of his spoon. "Elsa." Something had to be wrong with Kristoff's cooking if he could flatten soup. Besides, how could someone screw up soup?

"Elsa is Anna's sister, right?" Hans asks.

"Yup," Jack says again, eating because while it's dreadful, it's something going into his stomach.

"How long have you all been together?" Hans asked.

"What?" Jack could've sworn all the blood drained from his face. How was it that Hans, a perfect stranger, knew of his and Elsa's strange relationship? He was shady. He was obviously bad news-

"You know, the team," Hans spells it out. "How long have you all be traveling together?"

"Oh," it's hard to keep the relief out of his voice when Jack answers. "Er, I don't know. Months, maybe a year?"

"Huh," Hans said, and Jack still doesn't know what to make of his curiosity, On one hand, it's a good thing, on another hand, it's terrible...

Jack vaguely registers that Hans keeps talking. "How long has Elsa been the group's leader?"

"About forever," Jack says, and though it's not strong anymore, something flares up in him about being replaced. Maybe that's why his thoughts of Elsa were hateful for so long- Jack's lost in thought when Hans talks.

"If Anna looks for me, can you tell her I've gone for a walk?" Hans stands up.

"Yeah, sure," Jack says.

Hans leaves.

* * *

**September 30**

Their new safe house has less rooms. They're forced to share. Jack was going to share with Hiccup, but Hiccup got roped in to share with Kristoff, and Merida shared with Rapunzel, while Astrid and Flynn decided to share. Anna was with Hans, naturally. So, Jack had no choice but to share with Elsa. If that wasn't awkward, he didn't know what was.

Her back is turned when Jack enters the room. Which is just as well, he can't look at her at the moment, because she's so confusing with those innocent blue eyes.

Elsa's brushing out her hair, the pale tendrils fanning over her shoulders. Jack leans against the doorframe, smiling and watches her pin her smooth hair back into her typical braid. Her fingers fly fast, and it only takes a minute or so for it to be acceptable.

"Creep," Elsa says, and she turns to face Jack with a smile on her own lips.

"Hello to you, too," Jack grins back in response.

"Are you going to get ready for bed?" Elsa asks, standing up from the seat where she's been combing her hair.

"What's the use?" was Jack's response, and he sits on the bed. Speaking of- "There's only one bed."

"I can tell," Elsa replies dryly. "I guess this means you get the floor."

"Hold on, your highness- is anyone gets the floor, it's you," Jack crosses his arms.

"Hmm- I don't think so," Elsa replies with a smirk. "I'm the leader of the group, and the lady here, so-"

"So nothing," Jack cuts her off before she can finish her thought. "I should get the bed because I do the most work around this house."

"You don't. That's Rapunzel," Elsa rolls her eyes, but her smile is still there.

"Whatever. I'm not moving," Jack says. Elsa takes a seat next to Jack, and her eyes flash mischief.

"I'm not moving, either."

Their eyes are locked together, and it's quiet save for their breathing. Elsa crosses her arms like Jack's done, and she's smiling. So is Jack. It's already late, and they're both tired, but they both secretly vow that they won't let the other win this silly argument.

Elsa stretches and yawns, her arms locking into the mattress. "Just give up."

"Never," Jack smiles.

"Fine," Elsa lays down, and scoots over so that Jack had enough room. "We'll share." Alright, so she was backing down. In a sense. Being the leader though, she had to be diplomatic.

"What?" Jack's a tad disappointed that she's given up so quickly.

"Keep your hands to yourself," Elsa winks, and Jack laughs. He scoots down and turns so that his back is to Elsa, as to not cross any boundaries. They had, after all, decided a relationship wasn't for them.

* * *

**October 1**

There's the smell of something sweet. Cinnamon mixed with another fragrant scent. Then there's the soft thing tickling his nose. Jack scrunches his nose up, and the scent comes pouring into his nostrils. He feels warm, and while he normally hates feeling warm, it's not unpleasant. There's a soft sigh from beside him, and he cracks open an eye because it's not his own.

All he sees is pale white in his vision, and sunshine filtering from the open window. He exhales, and the white quivers and shakes in his breath. The image is too strange for him- and then he remembers.

Jack's arm is enclosed around Elsa's waist, and her back is turned to him, her hair in his nose and her nether regions are pressed up against his crotch.

Alright.. so that was pretty awkward. Jack shifts in his position, praying Elsa won't wake, but it's too late. Elsa cracks her eye open and looks at Jack over her shoulder.

"Morning," is all she says, stretching up in Jack's arms. Before he can pull them away, Elsa grips his elbows to stop him.

"I didn't have any nightmares," she tells him. When he looks confused, she keeps talking. "I always have nightmares when I go to sleep."

"Congrats," Jack says sarcastically, and Elsa gives his forearm a pinch.

"It's still early," she says. "Will you stay here?"

"We're not supposed to like each other," Jack responds, but takes Elsa back into his arms and they lay down again. This time, Elsa's face is in Jack's chest, and she rests her hands around his waist.

She inhales his musky scent. "Too late for that."


	5. Say you'll never leave me

**I want to constantly thank my reviewers, who gave me such beautiful reviews last chapter. Seriously, I can't help but to recognize the lovelies that I may not answer/reply to and I'm sorry for that: **

**adylaidklug**

**sunnyjoeman**

**First Movement **

**kimmie2598**

**rokusan23**

**Bluefire407**

**CocoVanillaMilk**

**DeniseAgron**

**glee131313**

**That one chick**

**Merlin's neon spotty left sock**

**Guest**

**MissJordanMajdoch**

**UFO- I'm going to answer your question here, since you're kind enough to notice that I'm not updating the other story you've questioned. To answer, yes, I shall focus on "CGI high" when I get a clue about what to write next. **

**Yamakiri**

**hay**

**strongyu**

**bs13**

**Guess what? Someone drew a beautiful fanart for this fanfiction. Do you know how much that means to me? It means a lot. I really think that the greatest compliment for me as an author is to have someone draw a fanart for a story I'm writing. PLEASE, CHECK IT OUT! Just google "quarterofamind" on deviantart. **

**This chapter is dedicated to the lovely artist of the piece, so please do give it a look! She's so talented. :) **

**This chapter's song: **

**_"Like a game of chess, I predict your move. I think I know you better, Better than you do. I'm sick of feeling cheap, Cheated and abused. Sick of losing sleep, Thinking about you."_ I Just Wanna Run\- Downtown Fiction **

* * *

**October 14**

"I still don't trust him."

Elsa tells Jack this on a night when she's half asleep and he's dozing off in a chair. Technically, he was supposed to be preparing for another raid that's occurring tomorrow, but that's left his head since it's almost midnight.

Jack yawns and lets some papers he's been holding fall. "Okay."

"Do you?" Elsa asks drowsily, and Jack doesn't even need her to say the name of who she's talking about. He just knows. He should, too- it's been the topic before they got to bed lately.

They had decided to keep sleeping in the same room- not actual "sleeping" together, but still denied that they were in a relationship. Either way, Jack's become used to Elsa's rants about Hans before she falls asleep.

"Depends what you want to hear," Jack says in response to Elsa's earlier question, sure that if he keeps talking she'll eventually rest. Her eyes are closed tight when she speaks, and she sighs; a long, shuddering exhale of breath.

"You can say you don't trust him either."

"Fine. I don't trust Hans," Jack rubs his sore eyes, relishing in the sweet feel of eyelids covering them. He needs to sleep... "How are he and Anna, anyway?"

"Anna still loves him," Elsa grumbles, and she sounds angry and betrayed at the same time. "I think she slept with him, too." She rolls onto her side, back facing Jack.

"Really," Jack feigns interest. "It's surprising that the younger sister got laid before the older one."

"You're lucky I'm sleeping," Elsa mumbles, and Jack smiles at her back. "Are you almost done?"

It's hard for Elsa to fall asleep without Jack anymore. It's hard for him, too, though he'd never admit it if anyone asked.

"Just about," Jack says instead. "We'll finish in the morning." He lays down on the bed, pushes Elsa aside to wriggle into the blankets, and rests with his head on top of her chin.

"I don't want you to go on the raid," Elsa says quietly once they're lying comfortably. Jack presses a soft kiss on her hairline.

"I'm not staying behind."

"I know," Elsa murmurs. "We'll bring Anna. Hans will have to come, too. And then Rapunzel, but that's it."

"Go to sleep," Jack hugs her closer, and can feel her body rising with each breath she takes.

"Okay," Elsa mutters, and she falls into slumber, Jack following soon after.

* * *

**October 15**

Customary costume for a house scavenge was black. That much was certain, because it helped camouflage themselves around the nighttime. Typical attire included a long-sleeved black shirt, black pants, black shoes. Plus a strap that went over the shoulders and chest to attach weapons onto.

Elsa hands Jack his clothes, and she reluctantly brings a basin of mud with her too. Since the object is blending in- everyone with bright hair has to color it muddy. Rapunzel's been replaced with Kristoff, which he's none too happy about, but because Rapunzel has begun teaching Anna the ways of a medic, she can stay behind for once. Kristoff has already slathered his blond hair in the muck, and so have Anna and Hans. They're resting, gathering supplies, since they won't return for another few days, at best.

"I need to change," Jack informs Elsa, who's mixing the mud with a stick.

"Go ahead," she replies, back turned.

"So get out," Jack says.

"I'm turned around, paranoid," Elsa says.

Jack huffs, but doesn't argue, because Elsa's hard enough to convince and he doesn't need to get in a war with her over this. Instead he yanks off his pants, and his shirt, and he's standing in his boxers and pulling on his pants when something cold trickles onto his scalp.

Elsa's reaching up to the top of Jack's head, with a handful of mud, that she's pouring over his hair. A drop of it runs down Jack's bare neck, and he whirls around then to face her.

"What the fuck, Elsa?" he says, and he's reaching to brush it off, but Elsa just lets the rest of it cascade over his entire head and drip, brown staining his shoulders and chest.

"Your hair," she says innocently, "You have to dirty it, you know."

"That doesn't fucking mean-" Jack rubs the dirt in an attempt to clean it off, but only succeeds in rubbing it in.

"Here," Elsa only tosses a handful of mud towards Jack. Half of it hits her target, Jack's exposed expanse of chest, the rest slops onto the floor.

"You-" Jack says, and he swipes it off, and Elsa just smirks. She always has to win, Jack thinks. Damn her. Well, he wasn't going to give her that satisfaction. Instead, he rivals her smirk, and cups his hands to collect some of the wet dirt.

Eventually, everything turns into a mud war. Elsa scoops handfuls of the mud, and hurls them towards Jack, who's still undressed and getting the worst of it, and Jack tosses handfuls back, and it splatters her white hair and clothing until it's plastered to her body with the amount of mud covering it.

The remainder of the mud is tossed over Jack's head, and Elsa tosses the now-empty bucket to the side with a laugh, and they're both a sight, streaked in drying and wet dirt. Jack catches Elsa in an embrace, and she laughs, because he's only hugging her to spread the dirt on her clothes so that she'll resemble the terrifying creature that he looks like.

"Bitch," Jack says, but he laughs when he says it. He captures her lips in a kiss, and it's muddy and dirty and unpleasant tasting but they both like it anyway.

* * *

**October 17**

They've been searching for hours already. Dusk is settling over the fields, and it's harder to see each other, and their surroundings, in all the black.

The stench of blood overpowers Jack's nostrils when he ducks behind a sizable rock, rotting flesh drifting rather crudely into his smell as well. There's a few dead bodies scattered around- they could've been there a day, could've been there a week. The one thing that worried him was whether the creatures that fed here were gone, or if they were coming back.

Their main priority is food, ammunition, and weaponry. If they encountered a few zombies to shoot, that was a bonus. Jack liked to think of it as a sport, and not as other thought as zombie hunting. Perhaps a part of him secretly wanted revenge- revenge on anyone of them, who only know how to kill and eat and destroy.

Maybe, in reality, he's just like them if he gets a sick twisted sense of satisfaction at seeing them die again, silencing them once and for all. The thought sends a shiver down his spine, and Jack lays his palms flat on the rock, letting his weapon clatter to the floor and he leans forward to listen.

He's been separated from the group, but he can hear footsteps, someone approaching. It's not the telltale dragging feet that should alarm him, instead, it's definitely a human by the timid steps. Still, Jack recollects his rifle and balances it on his shoulder, then steps way from the rock to aim at the intruder.

He sees Anna hold her hands out to stop him, and she says something, but Jack misses out on account of Kristoff, who's running after her and yelling something far more important.

"They're here!" Kristoff's eyes are wide in panic, and he's holding out some more weapons, dusty dynamite sticks and bullets. Jack joins them, and he makes to run in the direction of the zombies, but Anna stops him.

"Here!" She thrusts a dynamite stick in his direction, and takes one from Kristoff's arms.

"What-" Jack doesn't get to question her much further. By the time the undead reach them, Anna's lit one of the sticks and turns to Kristoff.

"Duck!" is all she yells, a split second before she hurls the burning stick over his head into the group. It explodes, and they're lost in an explosion of dust, dirt, smoke, and flying body parts.

Jack coughs, and rubs at his eyes in an attempt to clean his hazy vision. He glances around fro Anna or Kristoff, but they're lost in the haze.

"You almost set me on fire!" Jack hears Kristoff yell, and then spots him running with Anna.

"But I didn't!" Anna notices Jack and waves for him to follow them out.

By "out", that means that they're running out of the yard and into another clearing, in search of Elsa, Hans, or both. Jack feels a strange feeling blossom in his stomach at the thought of leaving Elsa with Hans. He prays, probably for the first time, that she's alone.

This clearing is nothing but drying grass, patches of dirt, a few straggly trees that have died, but the real thing that catches their attention is the crowd of about ten zombies that surround Elsa and Hans.

While it's it good thing they've found them, encountering them with this many of the creatures is not.

Jack stops Kristoff and Anna from entering the clearing, and blocks them from stepping forward by making a barrier with his hands, and he panics. Elsa's opening fire, she hasn't noticed them yet. Spray upon spray of bullet ricochet out of her rifle, and her face is scrunched up with determination, her weapon moving of it's own accord. Her hair is plastered to her head with dirt and blood and her face is streaked as well, but Jack doesn't think he's ever seen something as beautiful as her in that very moment.

Wait. Something's wrong. Hans is with her, but he isn't helping. He faces Elsa's back, and watches as she kills, before he raises his pistol at her back. Instantly, it clicks. He's trying to kill her, to pass it off as an accident because no one will know. He thinks they're alone.

Jack immediately runs just as Elsa's killed the last one, but someone shoves him aside, causing him to loose his balance and tumble sideways.

"_NO_!" Anna's cry rings, and Jack can spot her shove Elsa out of the way. The bullet intended for her sister hits Anna instead, and she crumples to the ground, blood staining the jacket around her ribs.

"Anna!" Kristoff's anguished yell comes, and when he barrels past Hans, the traitor's knocked to the floor and Kristoff collects Anna in his arms.

"_Anna_!" Elsa echoes, but her cry is much more terrified. It's stricken of fear and grief, and her eyes are starting to cloud. "Anna, no-" She reaches for his sister's face, which is starting to pale from blood loss and Anna's struggling just to breathe.

"I- I was wrong about Hans," Anna whispers, and that is too much of an effort to even say. A hacking cough that makes her spit up blood only worries them even more.

"We have to get you to Rapunzel," Kristoff says, carrying her bridal style, and the pain on his face is too evident.

Elsa won't let go of her, even though Kristoff is asking her too.

"Anna," Elsa sobs, when Kristoff finally wrenches her hands away from Anna's limp body. "Anna!"

Jack grabs Elsa's hands, and she's struggling and sobbing and hitting Jack's chest, crying and telling him to let her go. Jack only hugs her close, and lets her cry, even when she's shaking and the noises she makes no longer sound like they belong to her.

* * *

**October 18**

Elsa's staring into the distance, her blue eyes unreadable and blank while she looks at the sky. It's early morning, and she hasn't slept, and maybe that's why her eyes look tired and her pale skin seems to have lost even more color.

Either way, Jack knows something's wrong whenever Elsa sits on the one spot in the backyard where the sun hits the floor she rests on. Elsa hates the warmth of sun.

So Jack sits next to her, and waits for her to speak, but she doesn't and she keeps staring at nothing.

"Rapunzel's good, you know," Jack offers. "At what she does. Anna's going to be okay."

Elsa still won't say something. Instead, she's frozen in one spot, eyes fixed in one position. Jack keeps talking.

"Rapunzel says she was lucky- that the bullet didn't hit her heart or lungs. Just cracked a rib."

Elsa nods, the faintest of nods, but it's still movement. Jack takes it as in invitation to keep talking.

"She's set the wound. Anna's still under her medication- but she'll wake up any minute now." A pause. And then, "Do you want to see her?"

"Yeah," Elsa finally talks, but she says it quietly. Jack takes what he can get, and offers Elsa a hand to lead her inside the safe house.

Anna's lying on a mattress that's been dragged into the kitchen, where Rapunzel can reach the tub of water easily. In fact, Anna's still asleep, her head resting comfortably on a bunched up coat, while Rapunzel dozes off in a chair next to her.

"Rapunzel," Jack gives the girl a light shake, and she jumps awake. "You can go, get some sleep. We've got it from here."

"Are you sure? Anna-" Rapunzel starts.

"We've got it," Jack repeats. "Go." Rapunzel smiles, a faint thing.

"Alright. If she wakes up, call me," she leaves the room.

Elsa crouches next to her little sister, and takes Anna's hand in her own. Jack sits in the seat Rapunzel's vacated, and watches as Elsa presses Anna's hand to her cheek.

"I'm sorry," Elsa murmurs, so softly that Jack has to strain just to hear her. "I almost lost you, Anna."

Jack solemnly looks away, because it's a private conversation, and makes to leave before Elsa locks eyes with his, silently pleading with him to stay.

So he does.

"I told you," Elsa says, and she's starting to cry, little gasps intertwining with her words. "I told you Hans wasn't good for you. I told you that he shouldn't have gone on that raid- Anna, I never even told you I loved you. I probably did when I was eight. But not anymore, I didn't-" She's switching around randomly, and she shakes her head. The tears were coming faster now, and Elsa heaves a shuddering sob, before continuing.

"I love you, Anna." She hugs her sister close, and Jack inhales silently, and gives Elsa a sad look. He feels sorry for her, so sorry, though she never lost a sister like he did- He still missed Emma. Elsa has every right to cry over her sister...She knew his pain now.

"I love you, too." The words are so faint, Jack thinks he imagined them, but Anna manages a weak smile and Elsa's crying again, happy tears when she clutches Anna close.

Jack smiles, and this time, when he stands to leave, Elsa looks over her shoulder and mouths her thanks.

* * *

**October 19**

Hiccup's cooking again, which Jack is fine with. He always does, anyway, Jack thinks it makes him feel more in control with his life. Though he did seem much happier since he and Astrid got together. Honestly, Jack thought it was the weirdest pair he'd ever encountered, but Hiccup liked her, so that was all that mattered.

"What're we eating, Hic?" Jack takes a seat at the table, on one of the few chairs that wasn't in terrible condition.

"Canned, of course," was Hiccup's response, "But I built I fire so it'll be heated."

"I swear if it's the gross ass tomato soup again-"

"Spam," Hiccup says, "And chicken noodle soup. Is that good enough for you?"

"No," Jack sighs. "I want real food."

"Me, too," Hiccup says. "Maybe tomorrow we can make vegetable soup or something."

"With canned vegetables," Jack reminds him.

"Well, it'll be better than the vegetables plain," Hiccup shrugs. He hands Jack a bowl, and then sits across from him with his own.

"The others?" Jack asks.

"Astrid's sleeping. Merida and Flynn went for water, and Anna's resting and Kristoff's watching her, and Rapunzel's taking a bath with the rest of the water."

"And Elsa?" Jack can't keep the concern out of his voice when he speaks.

"I haven't seen her, actually," Hiccup pauses. Jack stands to leave, but Hiccup grabs his elbow before he can keep walking.

"Eat," Hiccup says, pushing the bowl towards him. "She's probably just upset about Anna. She could've died, Jack."

"I know," Jack says, and something flares in him. "Both of them. Because of that fucking-"

"Yeah," Hiccup says quietly. "Rapunzel told me about it- no one knows why Hans tried to kill Elsa. Or why he even strung Anna along."

"I hate him," Jack spits passionately. "He deserves to fucking die-"

"Jack," Hiccup chastises him. "You guys left him, out cold, with a group of zombies. Don't think Kristoff didn't tell me."

"Your point being?" Jack grumbles and tries the spam.

"That no one deserves to die like that," Hiccup says.

Jack opens his mouth, about to say something, but then he thinks of Emma and closes his mouth. Instead he says, "What the fuck is spam?"

Hiccup just shrugs. "I don't know, it's kinda like ham."

They both sit silently and eat a strange combination of spam and soup.

* * *

**October 20**

"I think he was jealous of Elsa," Anna tells Jack while he's bringing her lunch and her daily painkillers.

"Why?" Jack tries to be indifferent, but it comes off as curious, handing her small white pills and a bowl of vegetable soup.

"She was the team leader, and he likes to be in charge. I guess he never knew you were second in command," Anna says quietly, and she looks at her hands when she speaks.

"So he thought he'd play hero," Jack says, and he thinks when he accused Elsa of doing such an act not long ago.

"And then become the leader, I guess," Anna shrugs, and forces a smile, but it falls almost instantly. "Jack- do you think I'm stupid for thinking I loved him?"

"No," Jack replies, truthfully. "I think you were just- ugh-"

"Naive?" Anna offers, and it's said in such a heartbreaking manner, that Jack doesn't know what to say. He had never been good at motivational speaking, and Anna needed help. He didn't know what to say to her.

"No," Jack repeats, and swallows hard. "Just scared. He wanted you, and Elsa didn't, and-" Alright, so he might've been making it worse. _Sure, Jack, just remind her that her sister never talked to her if she could avoid it. _

"Okay," Anna says softly. "Thank you."

When Jack leaves, he's cursing at himself under his breath and hoping she won't bring it up with Elsa.

* * *

**October 21**

Elsa won't let him enter the room by the time nightfall comes. Jack knocks on the door; once, twice, and then gets impatient, crossing his arms.

"What are you doing in there?" he finally calls.

"Changing!" Elsa says in response, her voice muffled by the closed door.

"You wait to change now? When it's already late?" Jack groans, because he's exhausted, and Elsa doesn't seem to realize that he shares the fucking room with her. It's just like her, too, selfish girl she was.

"Yes!" Elsa snaps back. "Wait."

"Wait," Jack grumbles, rolls his eyes, but waits another minute before Elsa finally opens the door and lets him walk in without a death threat like she'd been doing previously.

"Merida offered another mattress," Elsa informs Jack, and she steps aside to show him their makeshift bed on the floor. "But I told her no- I said you didn't mind sleeping on the floor."

It was still a secret, that they shared a bed. There wasn't anything taboo about it, they just couldn't sleep without one another anymore. Either way, Elsa and Jack preferred it to be secret.

Jack isn't focusing on these thoughts for long, though, because Elsa looked tempting in her sleep ensemble. A baggy white shirt that slid off her shoulders, only to rest above her bosom, dipping low enough to show the swell and dips of her chest. It rested to about mid-thigh, and raised with every movement, showing Elsa's long legs. Her hair's in her usual braid, which swirls around her shoulders.

Damn her, looking like that when he actually needed to sleep.

"Are you okay?" Elsa quirks her eyebrow, but she's smiling at the dumb look on his face.

"Fine," Jack mutters in response.

Elsa climbs onto the mattress, and scoots over so that he can lie down, lying flat on her back and staring at the ceiling.

Jack follows her, and they're both looking up before he speaks. "We lost you a while ago." He refers to when Hiccup hadn't seen Elsa, and Jack had gotten worried about it.

Elsa only says, "I went for a walk."

"It was too early to go out alone."

"Great, dad, will you get off my back?" Elsa frowns, and turns on her side so that her back is to Jack. Jack sighs and turns the other way.

Neither of them really sleep that night.

* * *

**October 22**

Jack gets the lovely chance of sitting between Hiccup and Astrid one day. Apparently, the two had gotten into a spat the day before and refused to speak to each other.

"Can you pass me a spoon?" Jack asks Astrid, who in response slams it in front of his face so harshly, he's surprised it didn't snap. "Geez, Astrid. What's got your panties in a bunch?"

"Nothing," Astrid fumes, her eyes flickering to Hiccup ever so slightly before she turns back to her food, which, lucky them, is some tomato soup and canned fruit salad, which they separated for once, instead of mixing them in.

"Trouble in paradise?" Jack only smirks and sticks his spoon into the bowl.

"Fuck off," is Astrid's response, and she stands up, her chair scraping across the floor with an unapologetic tune of metal hitting tile. Hiccup visibly flinches at the sound, but keeps his view on his meal.

Jack waits until Astrid leaves, with the sound of the kitchen door swinging shut, before he speaks. "What's up with her?" he asks Hiccup, who's trying to avoid the question by pretending to be eating.

Hiccup swallows, and still fakes his terrible hearing, but it only takes a close stare on Jack's account for him to break and give in. "Alright, Astrid and I had a fight."

"About...?" Jack prompts curiously.

Hiccup sighs, and he turns a deep red, before he finally mumbles a barely unintelligible "Bacon."

"Did you just-"

"Yes," Hiccup groans, and he his face falls into his hands. Jack can't help it, he laughs, because the idea is outright silly that anyone would've had a fight over something as juvenile as food.

"Go on, explain," Jack is still cackling at this realization, his smile wide. Hiccup shoots Jack a firm glare, but speaks anyway.

"Astrid and I were talking about our favorite foods," Hiccup explains, "You know, the ones we missed. I said ice cream and she said bacon, and I said that ice cream was better than bacon-"

"Hold on, you said that ice cream was better than bacon?" Jack interrupts. "I'm sorry, Hic, but you aren't human."

"Shut up, Jack," Hiccup frowns. "Besides, I don't even like bacon. I told Astrid that, and she told me I was wrong, and I said that not everybody likes bacon-"

"Dude," Jack snickers, "You literally fought over bacon."

"Yes, I know," Hiccup snaps, irked. "That was the entire point. Astrid got mad, and she started yelling-"

Jack just snickers again. "Bacon."

"See why I can't tell you anything?" Hiccup lays his head on the table and groans.

Jack chuckles, low at first but eventually continuing until his head is tossed back and he's struggling to compose himself.

Hiccup lets a low laugh escape.

* * *

**October 23**

"You've been avoiding me." Elsa's sitting on the bed by the time Jack comes in to sleep, which is rather late at night.

"No, I haven't," Jack denies it and closes the door behind him.

"Yes, you have."

"No, I haven't."

"Yes."

"Why do you care?" Jack finally says, running his fingers through his hair, and Elsa recoils slightly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asks, anger lacing her words.

"Whatever," Jack mumbles, trying to close off the conversation, but Elsa won't budge, taking up the whole mattress and leveling him with a fierce glare.

"Is it because I left for a walk by myself?" she asks, finally, visibly upset.

"No," Jack says, and he means it. "I can't right now."

"Can't what?"

"Can't do this, can't-" Jack exhales and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I can't, okay?"

Elsa stands up, and she reaches for Jack's face with cold fingers before he backs out of her touch. Elsa slowly lowers her hand, but keeps her eyes locked with Jack's.

"You're irritated," Elsa notes, and gently clutches Jack's hand.

"Maybe," Jack admits. "Not at you. Not-"

Elsa lifts herself on her toes to press a kiss to his lips, and it takes a few seconds, but he kisses back, before she pulls away.

"Don't ignore me." When Elsa says this, her voice seems small. "I know I've been a bit-"

"That's fine," Jack cuts her off, and forces a smile. "I was worried."

Elsa nods, but she smiles too, and leads Jack to the bed they're sharing, sitting him down and sitting next to him.

"Promise-" Elsa sighs, then slides her hand onto his leg. "Promise you won't leave before I wake up?"

Jack nods. "Promise."


	6. I can't do this on my own

**Lord Jesus, it's finished I thought I'd never finish 'cause I got stuck and freaked out because I thought that I was loosing inspiration with this one too. **

**Hey, so there's a bit of crack shipping ahead with Merida and Toothless- yes, you read that right, he's back- because idk _tumblethorne_ came up with it and I was just like yesss I can totally put that in 'cause while I love Merida as single, she deserves a prince. **

**I got... the sweetest reviews I've ever had, guys, and it's all thanks to my lovelies who reviewed, and nothing makes my day better than seeing those reviews. They help me out so much, thank you, I honestly can't stress how much I love you all for taking the time to motivate me and telling me what you like about the story. And I want to thank all the individuals that reviewed right here: **

**GreenEyedLooney **

**Guest **

**Shimmer Shine **

** nyc4me **

**CocoVanillaMilk**

**007 **

**AliceInNeverland **

** rokusan23 **

**bs13 **

** strongyu **

** Spongebobbs **

** First Movement **

** sunnyjoeman **

** Seth Enjambre **

** DeniseAgron **

** FrostSapphire **

** Samanthafun4 **

** PriscilaOrglene **

** glee131313 **

** Inked Thought **

**I hope I didn't miss any, and even as I typed out each name, I remember what each person said and I honestly had the stupidest grin on my face, really, I'm such an idiot. **

**Alright, beautiful people aside, here's the chapter's song, shortened because I thought the lyrics fit my scenario so perfectly: **

**_"Even though the world she loved, It won't ever be the way it was... Memories they take her back, Every moment fades to black, Every kiss and every taste, She wishes time would ease the pain...I don't know if I'll ever make this right, Cause I am just so broken by the bitterness of loneliness." _The Silence, by Mayday Parade. **

****

* * *

**October 24**

True to his word, Jack stays. He wakes up before her, and she's snuggled against his chest again, and he can see her small mouth exhaling little puffs of air. Her hair's mussed, half braided and half slipping, the strands tickling his nose as usual, with that same scent of cinnamon. Jack smiles down at her, and reaches to brush a strand of hair out of Elsa's eyelashes, where it sticks.

Elsa exhales, and stretches in his arms, before opening her eyelids and giving Jack a tentative glance, and then a small smile. "Good morning," she murmurs.

"Morning," Jack says in response, and keeps his smile. "Am I allowed to leave yet?"

"No," Elsa pulled Jack closer to herself and snuggled against his chest, nuzzling his neck with her nose. "I don't want to wake up yet."

Jack leans forward to kiss her, but it's a lazy kiss, groggy since they're both disoriented. Elsa accepts his small sign of affection, though, before leaning back into him again.

"It's late," Jack whispers, and Elsa buries her face in the crook of his shoulder, and gives his collarbone a light kiss.

"Not that late."

"Yeah, it is."

"Don't argue with me," Elsa mutters. "I like this. I like-" She's drifting off to sleep again.

"Do you like me?" Jack convinces himself to ask out loud. In response, there's soft breathing and a weak snore, like slumber's already dragged Elsa under.

It feels silly, to ask Elsa if she had any feelings for him- there was attraction, sure. She was stunningly beautiful, and she could be kind when she wanted to, though he's reminded of why the two never wanted to describe their involvement as a relationship.

They're both fucked up.

Massively.

They're both orphans, they're both broken, they're both trying to claw their ways out of a problem that has no solution, and ending up with raw fingernails and cracked aspirations.

Jack just rests, and lets his body relax in Elsa's arms. He figures they'll work it out someday- but not now. He can't focus on anything right now.

* * *

**October 25**

"Astrid and I made up," Hiccup tells Jack this when they're both getting the daily water. A stream a quarter mile away means plenty of walking, with a large weight on their back just from the container to collect their water with, and Hiccup and Jack don't expect to be back at the safe house for another hour or two.

"Ah," Jack nods, lifting his end of the tub higher. "So what I'm hearing is, you two had make-up sex and you finally got laid."

"_Jaccckk_," Hiccup rolls his eyes, because he's used to his friend's blunt words, but it doesn't mean he accepts them. "No. I said we made up."

"Did you guys at least make out?"

Hiccup shoves the edge of the tub, hitting it against Jack's chin.

"Jack, please," Hiccup says. "Behave."

"I'm good-" Jack says defensively. "I swear."

Hiccup sighs. "Just pretend that you're not an asshole who makes foot-in-your-mouth comments."

"I'll try," Jack smirks, and Hiccup shoves the tub again.

"The stream's up there. Let's fill it and leave," Hiccup says.

"Alright," Jack says, but his smile's still there.

* * *

**October 28**

Jack's sitting next to Merida on one of the room's bed, and they're both messing around with old, frayed books they've found in the latest safe house. Jack's found a pirate novel, and he's flipping through it to read offensive lines, much to Merida's excitement, who's doing the same with a romance one.

"_The booty shone with a thousand crowns_," Jack tried to read seriously while Merida guffawed loudly. "_The men hooted at the sight of it_."

"Wait- listen to this one-" Merida opens her own book. "_Her breasts heaved with each movement- her eyes glistening with lust at the fine specimen before her._"

The two of them are howling with laughter, full of pure mirth by the time they're interrupted by someone opening a door.

"You're not going to believe this," Hiccup steps into view, and he's pale, his face drained of all color. Merida and Jack feel their joy seep away at Hiccup's solemn tone, and they sit up.

"What happened?" Merida asks, full of worry. "Is it Anna?"

Common knowledge of Anna's wound had spread, of course, and Anna was confined to bed rest until she got better. It was alright, though, she had Elsa and Kristoff to be regular visitors.

"No, it's not Anna, it's-" Hiccup exhales, and he's blushing pink. "You ought to come outside."

Merida and Jack exchange a glance, but they both stand at the same time and follow their friend outside, all the while wondering what it is that Hiccup's to look like he'd seen a ghost.

"...Las Vegas? Really?" Rapunzel's voice carries on from the living room when the three step into the hallway. "How was it?"

"Everything was trashed," a familiar, quiet voice says. "The casinos were toppled. They were all practically lined with explosives."

"Is that how you lost your leg?" a new voice joins the conversation, Kristoff's, and he's curious.

Jack supposed he should've seen it them. He and Merida entered the living room to find none other than Toothless staring back at them.

It got awkward that fast...

"Guys!" Rapunzel smiles from where she and Kristoff are sitting with Toothless on the couch, the three learning of his travels since he'd last been with the group. "It's Toothless!"

As if they were blind or something. Toothless's face looked beat down and exhausted, and his hair looked longer than before, his green eyes more vivid than ever in his face. He stands awkwardly, balancing on one leg and a peg of wood you might've seen a pirate wear in a old movie. He and Hiccup matched, at least, both missing legs.

"Hey," Jack offers to Toothless, along with a smile, but Merida abruptly turns and leaves without explanation, dragging Hiccup with her, catching the poor boy off balance.

* * *

**October 29**

"So you're not going to talk to him-?" Jack questions, watching as Merida angrily washes the laundry by herself. He'd help, but he enjoys watching her struggle.

Toothless has joined their group up again- for good, no one really knew. He was still staying, though, and he and Flynn had gone off for more water.

"No," Merida snaps, practically tearing a skirt in two by the brutal scrubs she's giving it. "Ah don't need tae talk to him."

"Is it 'cause you guys fucked?" Jack asks, and that earns him a soapy pair of boxers to his face. "Gross, Merida!"

"No," Merida repeats, and a small smile of triumph appears on her face when Jack tosses the underwear onto the floor.

"He keeps trying to talk to you," Jack notes, and Merida just shifts her face forward so that her hair covers her expressions, red curls catching bubbles and water.

"Ah don't care."

"I think you do."

"Well, ah don't."

"Merida-"

"No," Merida cuts him off. "Just don't do this right now, Frost. Ah'm not talkin' tae him, and yer not convincin' me."

"It could help you, Mer-"

"No," Merida says, and Jack can hear the subtle beginning of tears. "Jack, please."

Merida never said please. She had jokingly told Jack this one day, that she would never apologize, because it wasted valuable time. It was a facade, Jack knew, but he would always laugh and say that he agreed.

It just makes Jack sad, because he knows that she's finally broken.

"Okay," is all Jack can murmur, and he leaves her to wash by herself, shooting her a sympathetic look before he goes out of sight.

* * *

**October 31**

"It's Halloween," Astrid says, pausing in the doorway of where Jack lies down on his bed, the sun raising with streaks of orange and red in the dirty, broken window behind him.

"Thanks for the newsflash, Captain Obvious," Jack replies, but of course, he hadn't known that. October 31st, already? He had no track of time, and days usually blurred to him, the minutes and seconds passing him by while he made no move to grope for them.

"I decided it's my job to tell you about every holiday," Astrid decides, and Jack feels a smile creep onto his face, remembering the times that Astrid's already done what she's promised to do.

"Plan to trick-or-treat?" he asks.

"Nope," Astrid says, and he can sense the smile when she speaks. "How about you? I'm sure Merida would be glad to play a trick on you."

"As tempting as that sounds, I'm good," Jack says.

"So no prank war?" Astrid smiles.

"Sorry, nope."

* * *

**November 6**

Breakfast is unnaturally silent. Jack chews on canned fruit, and so does Merida, and Flynn serves himself another serving.

"Hey, pass me another spoon, yeah?" Flynn nudges Merida, who rolls her eyes but passes him one nonetheless.

"Has anyone seen Astrid today?" Jack asks out loud, because he's remembering that Hiccup was looking for her not long ago.

"She went out on a walk, I think," Flynn spoons food into his open mouth. "With Toothless."

Merida's bowl is slammed onto the table, and she mumbles something about forgetting an important thing she has to do, and she leaves, almost crashing into Kristoff, who has come to bring Anna breakfast.

"Weird," Flynn comments, but finishes off Merida's portion of food.

* * *

**November 7 **

Jack sits with Toothless because, well, it's useless to avoid him even if that keeps Merida on speaking terms with him. Astrid's forgiven him already, so it seems, after Toothless had explained that he and Hiccup were nothing, and that they never were anything, nor would they ever be, that it was a one-time thing. Plenty of things like that, he was sure.

"So what's the story on your leg?" Jack asks, because he doesn't want to beat around the bush any longer and he's generally curious.

"Lost it in a scuffle with one of them," is all Toothless says, and he shrugs. "Pretty bad. Found a guy who helped me out, though. Set the wound and all, but I lost the leg."

"You joining us?" Jack asks, because Toothless wasn't entirely bad, no matter Merida's rants about him being terrible.

"Maybe," Toothless says. "Depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Merida."

"Merida?" Jack arches his eyebrow.

"I don't know," Toothless says, and he has the face of a man who's pining for something he can't have.

"Good luck," Jack offers in response, and thinks back to a long ago conversation about girls with Hiccup. He recalled, "She's pretty damn scary. Not as scary as Astrid, but it's a close call."

Toothless cracks a small smile, and Jack's own smile grows larger.

* * *

**November 9**

Merida slams the door behind her, her face red and seeking out Jack with angry strides.

"Oh, hey, Mer-"

Merida responds by slapping his face, and then angrily running a hand through her tangled red hair, round face matching her locks and making her freckles stand out.

"Ow," Jack says, and rubs his throbbing cheek. "What was that for?"

"Yer room was the first one ah could get tae," Merida snaps, and she turns to a nearby wall, glaring at it as if it were its fault that she was mad.

"From-?"

A knock sounds on the door, slow and wistful. "Merida-" Jack recognizes Toothless's voice.

"No," is the redhead's response, and Jack can see that she can't even look at the door.

"I'm sorry."

"Fer what?" Merida barks, and Jack watches as she crosses her arms.

"I don't even know why you're mad at me."

"Jist do me a favor an' don't talk to me," Merida spits.

"I didn't want it to be a one night thing, Merida."

Jack can only find it amusing like the little shit he is and smiles.

* * *

**November 12**

Elsa was upset again- she was sitting in the same place that the sun hits. Her knees are yanked up to her chest, and her chin rests on her kneecaps. The blank look is in her eyes again, and she's rigid. Jack registers that it's around three o'clock, and that could be the reason, but he sits next to her and ignores the glare of heat that streaks across his face, caused by the sun.

There's no words to be said between them, and Elsa only acknowledges him with a subtle movement of fingers before continuing her staring.

Jack understands, so they both sit silently until the time passes, marking a quarter after three, and Elsa can finally relax. Her arms fall from where they've been wrapped around her shins, and she doesn't resist when Jack reaches to wrap his arms around her.

"I miss home," Elsa comments, and rests her cheek against Jack's beating heart.

"Me too," Jack says softly, but Elsa shakes her head.

"Real home. With my mom, my dad-" she exhales shakily. "And Anna. We used to be so close."

"It seems like you two are closer again," Jack offers, and Elsa shakes her head again.

"Not like this. We were best friends," Elsa mutters, wistfully, eyes sparkling with an old memory. "I love her, Jack."

"Yeah," Jack mutters.

"Is there-" Elsa seems to have to force herself to continue her sentence. "Or was there a girl you loved?"

Jack grins. "Yeah. She was beautiful. Brown hair, brown eyes, she was a knockout. Real cute, too."

"Oh," Elsa says quietly. "Umm.. what was her name?"

"Emma," Jack smiles, and Elsa catches on.

"Your sister," she says, and there's a hint of relief.

"Who else?" Jack says.

Elsa's silent. "Well, there could always be your mother."

The two smile, and it eventually turns into laughs, until Elsa's lying in Jack's lap and he lets her.

* * *

**November 15**

Kristoff, Flynn, Astrid, Elsa and Rapunzel have left one another raid. Jack had accepted this, in a strange way, and he awkwardly gives Elsa a goodbye before she leaves, a little pat on her arm and Elsa, a brisk nod. Jack knows that he won't catch any sleep.

Either way, since both Kristoff, Elsa and Rapunzel have left, Jack takes it upon himself to make sure Anna eats and he enters the kitchen to get a plate of whatever weird thing Hiccup's cooked up. He stumbles across a rather amusing sight, though.

Merida's back is to him, and maybe that's why she hasn't noticed; because compared to the rest, she has some of the best reflexes. Toothless' hands are tangled in her crazy red curls, he holds her neck in an intimate way, while Merida's small hands circle around the man's waist, and they're kissing in a way that's reserved for dramatic movies where the lovers are about to either die or leave each other.

Jack smiles, and he clears his throat because this is too much of an opportunity to pass up. Toothless opens his eyes, takes a step away from Merida, and gives Jack a confused look. Merida, with a slightly dream-like expression, follows Toothless's gaze, and that's enough to snap her out of her lovesick daze.

"_Frost_!" she screeches. Merida reaches for the first item she can throw- a bowl- and hurls it at Jack's head, but he ducks into the kitchen, laughing because it's funny.

Merida can refuse Toothless for all this time, and then she suddenly wants to kiss him like they're alone.

Jack closes the door behind him, and he can hear Merida's pounds on the wooden barrier, as well as her breathy yells.

He just grins and grabs Anna a plate of food.

* * *

**November 16**

Jack wakes up with no sleep- though of course, he's already expecting that. Though he still denies it, he misses Elsa. He flops back onto his pillow, which is usually cold, exactly how he liked it, but today it's warmer than usual, which makes no sense considering the pillow was always cold even when Elsa was there.

Maybe he just needed to get used to sleeping alone... He wouldn't have Elsa around forever. For whatever reason, as he thinks this, his stomach twists in a strange sensation at the thought.

He flops over onto his pillow and sighs, before attempting to sleep again.

* * *

**November 20**

Elsa's back, and she's back later than anyone would've expected. They're fine, but they're dirty and splattered in blood and they're all shaky like they've seen something terrible, which Jack doesn't doubt.

Jack's sitting on the bed when Elsa walks in, and she shuts the door behind her, before making a strangled noise at seeing Jack again.

He's on his feet in an instant, and he holds her close, praying nothing's triggered memories again. Her hands curl into his shirt, and nails dig painfully into covered skin, but Jack won't let go of her, dipping his head so that his mouth is level with her ear.

"What happened?" he asks.

"We were too late, we-" Elsa is sobbing, soft cries and wet heaves. "She died in my arms, Jack."

He doesn't understand, but Elsa can't explain, tears dripping off her delicate cheeks. Jack pulls back, and he kisses her, because she needs it, and frankly, so does he.

The familiar coldness they both share greets the other, and Elsa's lips are cracked and dry and wet with blood but Jack tastes them anyway, cupping her face in his hands. She makes a noise at the back of her throat, a slight whimper, and Jack makes to pull away before Elsa tightens her grip around his torso.

"No," she mutters against his lips. "Stay."

They kiss, and take their time in exploring the curves and planes of the other's lips, never moving fast or impatient, but calm and careful. Jack feels a drop of water hit his nose, and he can see Elsa crying again, and he puts one of his hands on the small of her back, and lifts her chin with the other hand, and kisses her harder.

* * *

**November 21**

"We met a family in one of the houses." Astrid and Flynn are still tired, both sport bags under their eyes, and look half-asleep even as they eat breakfast. Jack's woken up around the same time they were, and the three are alone when they eat cold mushroom soup.

"What happened?" Jack asks instead of questioning why Flynn's face is grim and why Astrid's resembles one of pain.

"We tried to help them out. They had two little girls, a mom and dad, and no food. Gave them some supplies, Rapunzel tried to give the little girls some medicine," Flynn says gruffly.

Jack opens his mouth to ask what comes next, but Astrid beats him to it. "They encountered some zombies not a day later, after we had packed up and gone. They all died, Jack. We couldn't stop them. We went back, but we were too late. Only one of the little girls was still alive, and-" Astrid exhales sharply, and her words are thin and forced when she speaks. "She died not a minute later."

"In Elsa's arms?" Jack thinks back to the night before, and Flynn's soundless nod gives him his answer. "That's terrible."

Astrid stands, shoving her chair back in a harsh scrape, and she's blazing mad all of a sudden, sticking a finger in Jack's chest until the point of it jabs his collar uncomfortably. "Terrible? It's fucking sick. You don't understand what we saw-"

Something in Jack snaps, too, and it brings thoughts of his family again, all of them bleeding out and passing away before his vary eyes. "You don't understand what I've seen!" he practically screams this sentence at her, standing to rival the height difference, knocking away Astrid's finger with indifference . "Your family didn't _fucking die_ in front of you!"

"Give it up, you two!" It's Flynn's turn, and he stands up, shaking the whole table so that their soup in their bowls slosh onto the splintery wooden table they sit at, and he looks furious, something that Flynn's never been. "Stop pointing fingers- stop it. It's hard. It's already hard enough."

Astrid backs down, and so does Jack, and the two grudgingly sit down again.

* * *

**November 28**

Elsa locked herself back into her room that afternoon. Rapunzel's sad words tell Jack this when she passes him in the hallway, and Jack knows that their newest safe house reminds her of her own house. Any little thing could send her running, and while Elsa seemed so confident and sure of herself, she only let Jack see her vulnerable side.

Jack goes to knock on Elsa's door, but he finds that someone's already beat him to it.

Anna leans on the wall, and it's a lot of effort just to move, because she's still healing, and it probably took Kristoff's help and a lot of persuasion on Anna's part, because Rapunzel was not easily swayed. With Hiccup's help, Anna walks on a crutch constructed out of metal and wood, like Hiccup's leg, but it still takes a lot out of her to walk.

Anna must've really loved Elsa to do this for her.

"Elsa?" Anna knocks on the door, her voice thin. "Please, I know you're in there."

More silence, and Jack shuffles to enter the hall, but Anna keeps on talking, and it seems personal, so he stays back. "People are asking where you've been."

Jack takes this opportunity to hide, and he slinks backwards, almost tripping. "I'm trying, Elsa!" Anna pleads now. Then, quietly, "Do you want to build a snowman?"

_What the fuck, it's like eighty degrees outside. _

For some reason, these words mean something to Elsa, and she opens the door, and Jack catches sight of her hugging her younger sister tenderly.

He backs up again and finally trips.

* * *

**November 29**

"You need to sleep."

It's already ten at night and Elsa's sitting at a broken desk, with papers spread around her, battle strategies and terrain summaries but she's not focused, her mouth pressed into a thin line and her hand resting under her chin.

She only turns her head slightly at Jack's words. "So do you."

"You didn't sleep last night."

"So?"

"So, you're the team leader, your highness, and everyone's lives depend on you," Jack sits next to her, and attempts to pull the papers away, before Elsa clamps her hand on them.

"Worry about that later, Jack, and go to sleep," Elsa says, her voice exasperated.

"No," Jack reaches for Elsa's hand, which she lets him take and pull her out of the chair. "You'll never go to bed if I don't drag you."

"Drag me?" Elsa sounds amused, letting go of her papers, and she leans up to give Jack's lips a quick peck.

"If that's what it takes," Jack smiles and kisses her again.

"Crazy," Elsa decides, with a purse of lips, but accepts another kiss.

"I'm the crazy one?" Jack smirks.

"Yes," Elsa's smirk rivals his own, her eyes flittering innocently.

Jack lifts her up like a bride, though Elsa's laughs and light smacks don't stop him from dropping her onto the mattress with enough strength, it bounces under her weight.

Elsa hooks her leg under Jack's knee and forces him to fall over, their chests pressing together and his face planting in the mattress.

"Crazy," Jack mutters, muffled by the sheets.

Elsa laughs and lays flat on her back.

* * *

**November 30**

"Would you ever have kids?" Elsa asks Jack when he's still waking up, tracing circles in the soft cloth of a shirt that covers his chest.

"What brought that up?" Jack mumbles, arms wrapped around her, and he brushes her hair off of her shoulders to cascade down her back, tendrils escaping from her braid.

Elsa's thin shoulders shrug in his arms before settling comfortably. "I don't know."

"Would you?" Jack asks instead, rather than answering. Elsa's pensive, and her finger stops drawing invisible figures.

"Maybe. I don't know. I might be a terrible mother."

"You wouldn't," Jack tells her.

Elsa shrugs. "I don't know," she repeats, and turns the question on him again. "What about you?"

"Yes, I'm going to go get knocked up as soon as I can and give birth to about five kids," Jack teases, sarcastic one he is.

Elsa rolls her eyes, the bright blue turning in her sockets. "You know what I meant."

"What, if I'm gonna knock up some girl?" Jack shrugs, like Elsa did. "I don't know. The world's fucked, I'm fucked, if I meet a girl I love, she's probably gonna be fucked up too."

"Oh," Elsa says, simply. "I guess there's really no place for love, then, in a zombie apocalypse."

"Nope," Jack mumbles, and he feels almost sorry after he says it.

"What would you be doing, if this hadn't happened?" Elsa asks. "You know, like a job."

"A job?" Jack quirks his eyebrow. "I don't know. Maybe ice hockey, I love that. Or, I used to like art a bit."

"Oh, you were an artist," Elsa grins.

"Don't get excited, your highness. I just dabbled with painting. Snowflakes, really." Jack chuckles, and then he smiles. "I used to use gel paints and make snowflakes- and I'd hang them up in Emma's room, and we'd pretend it snowed."

"Oh," Elsa repeats like she's done before, but it's softer. "That's- nice of you."

"Nice of me?" Jack grins cheekily.

"...Oh, shut up."

"What about you, then?" Jack asks, resting his chin on Elsa's head.

"I don't know," Elsa says, like Jack had done. "I used to like skating. Ice skating, that is. Maybe I'd be a figure skater."

"I can see that," Jack notes. Elsa goes back to drawing on his chest.

"Don't you miss it?" she asks. "Life. Remember when we used to have one?"

"Yup," Jack says, too cheerfully for the situation. "Now we just zombie hunt. Try and survive."

Elsa's hand pauses again. "Do you ever think you could give up zombie hunting?" she asks. "You know, just survive. Move to a place where zombies haven't overrun and have a family, build a house-"

"No," Jack says flatly, and he thinks of his parents. Of Emma. "I owe it to her. I owe it to them. I can't just stop. Besides-" he inhales quickly- "It makes me feel like I'm doing something. If if ignore the problem, it won't just go away."

"I guess you're right," Elsa mutters, sounding crestfallen. "Jack?"

"Huh?"

"What would you say we are?" she asks.

"What do you mean, what we are?"

"No one knows about us."

Jack thinks for a minute, and lets a few seconds pass. "Is there an us?"

"I don't know," Elsa mumbles. "Is there?"

"If you want there to be," Jack says reluctantly.

"So- you like me?" Elsa asks timidly.

"I..." Jack says, but he trails off. He can't say he likes her. Maybe he does. Maybe his feelings have reached that point, but he can't tell her until he's sure that nothing will happen her. He doesn't love her, and as long as he doesn't fall in love with her, nothing bad can occur.

He tells himself this, anyway, though something tells him otherwise.

"Yes," Jack presses a light kiss to Elsa's hairline. "I do."

Elsa leans closer to him, and he does the same, and there's something different about it. It's no longer careful and mindful, it's comfortable and warm.

Jack tries to remember that he hates feeling warm.


	7. God forgive me, for all my sins

**Man, this chapter was hard to write. It's hard for me to write someone who is affected by the past, and who might lose themselves in old memories that aren't pleasant. I just can't do it. Plus there's some more Elsa and Jack in here, guys, and the most annoying part about writing is that, if I'm writing about something I have no experience in, for example kissing, I research it. I'm hoping no one see my Google search history because they'll think I'm crazy, googling how people kiss. Yeah, that's one of the most awkward sentences I've ever written out. Plus, let's talk change in weather! I mentioned last chapter- when it's like November- that it was around eighty degrees, and now, here, it's snowing and stuff. It seems impossible, but I leave in the desert, weather extremes like this happen all the time, so please don't think I'm ignoring climatic change. Anyway, I've got to write for the lovelies that reviewed last chapter. I know I say this a lot, but I want to hug each and every one of you that leaves their thoughts there in the review box, and just squeeze the life out of you cuties. Okay, I'm being creepy, so here's the list of those people that brighten my life: **

**A Battle Inside My Heart **

** yulimarts **

** LokiLaufeyson1 **

** LillyStoppable **

**007 **

**Guest **

** Kyliegurl13 **

** First Movement **

** bs13 **

** FrostSapphire **

** davidholguin2 **

** RainbowSunshine8 **

** DeniseAgron **

** Inked Thought **

** sunnyjoeman **

**This chapter's song- **

**_"The I.V. and your hospital bed. This was no accident, This was a therapeutic chain of events. This is the scent of dead skin on a linoleum floor, This is the scent of quarantine wings in a hospital! It's not so pleasant, And it's not so conventional, It sure as hell ain't normal b_****_ut we deal, we deal."_ Camisado by Panic! At the Disco. **

* * *

**December 5**

Elsa and Anna were friendly with each other now, which was good for the people around them, since that tension was gone. By "tension" it meant that Anna kept trying to get closer to Elsa while she shut her out, for favor of Jack. Jack's already trying to lay low, as to not give Anna and Rapunzel anything else to giggle about. So while Elsa's actually eating with them, or more with her sister, Jack tries to stay way from them because and only because he still likes to think that he can save Elsa if he doesn't like her.

He sits next to Rapunzel, and the two of them are eating canned beef- who knew that was even a thing?- and drinking tomato juice, with a side of peas. Rapunzel's chatting with him about something, he's sure, but he tunes her out and watches as Astrid, for once, helps Hiccup out in the kitchen and even lets him give her a kiss.

Jack's thinking it's totally weird, and is glad when Rapunzel starts talking to Flynn, who's sitting down next to them, shortly joined by Kristoff, who doesn't want to interrupt the sister bonding. Anna's humming, a cheerful thing in the morning, Elsa laughs and gives her sister's hand a squeeze, and Jack thinks that only Toothless and Merida are missing, but then he thinks of what that implies and wishes that he'd never let his mind wander that far back, because now he's lost his appetite to an unappealing mental image that makes him cringe.

"It's frozen outside," Kristoff remarks, and Jack focuses on him, who's talking between bites of terrible food. "There's ice over the lake. It'll take us at least an hour just to cut through that for the day's water."

"We can melt some of the snow," Hiccup says from the kitchen, but he's cut off by someone else.

"The lake's frozen! Oh, Elsa, can't we go skate?" Anna practically begs. "It'll be like it used to!"

"Anna-" Elsa begins, but Anna's got a crafty look in her eye when she speaks over her sister's protests.

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

Elsa grins, and she stands, and she and Anna rush into a nearby closet that has the scavenged winter clothes, oversized coats and gloves, scarves and hats that people had saved.

"I've never been skating," Rapunzel says, "But it sounds fun. Does anyone know how?"

"Not to brag-" Flynn stretched his arm out so that it hung over Rapunzel's shoulders. "But I kick ass at skating, Blondie."

"The only thing you know how to do is fall on your ass," Astrid snorts from the kitchen, "You don't know shit about skating."

"Like you do?" Flynn lets his hand droop some more.

"Hiccup does. He can teach you, Rapunzel," Astrid offers for her boyfriend- _an odd word, _Jack thinks- and Hiccup, who's washing dishes with the little water they have left, pops up.

"Hey, it's cold outside, and I don't want to-"

"Hiccup can teach you, Rapunzel," Astrid reiterates with a sharp glance at Hiccup.

"I've been dying to skate," Hiccup says sarcastically, but luckily Rapunzel doesn't catch up on it, and she jumps up to look through the pile that Elsa and Anna have abandoned, rummaging through it, dragging Flynn with her.

Kristoff sighs. "Well, since you guys are going to be going to the lake, I guess we'll all slack off and go."

"Get Merida and Toothless!" Rapunzel tells Astrid, who's yanking her boyfriend out of the kitchen.

"Ugh, I heard them banging yesterday, no way in hell am I-"

"Thank you, Astrid," Hiccup cut her off, wincing at her crude words. "We'll let them know." He turns to Jack, who's been silent for the majority of this. "Are you skating with us?"

Jack shrugs, though he doesn't want to. Already, a frozen lake sounds familiar to him, and he doesn't like the feeling the past memory brings with it. "Alright." That feelings returns again, a coldness spreading through the bottom of his stomach, but he shakes it off and stands, following them all into the freezing winter air, but refuses to put on shoes, or a hat, or even gloves.

They're no skates, of course, all spare metal goes to melting down for ammo or weaponry. Anna and Elsa are slipping and sliding in shoes, quivering legs holding up Anna, while Elsa strode easily.

Rapunzel grabs Flynn by both hands, and she yanks him onto the ice. They both nearly fall over, but Flynn steadies Rapunzel, and hugs her close so that she won't fall.

Astrid, meanwhile, is shaky when she steps onto the lake, and Hiccup reaches to help her, but she shakes him off insisting that she's got it, but reluctantly lets Hiccup take her hand after another false start leavs her on her butt.

Jack turns to Kristoff and smirks. "Since there's a couple thing here, how about you and me?"

"God, Jack," Kristoff only groans, but he laughs, and even though Jack's teasing, the two of them got onto the lake at the same time, because they're both good at skating, both harboring a secret love for ice.

"Oh!" Anna says, slipping, but Elsa's arms catch her before she can fall.

"You're getting the hang of it," Elsa laughs, and the two sisters wobbly veer towards the other side of the lake. Jack steps onto the ice, and it's cold under his bare feet, but he doesn't really mind, and glides on the smooth surface, only marred where people are moving.

"Astrid, you're too tense," Hiccup lays his hand on her waist, and helps her balance. "There. Loosen up."

"I'll kick you in the balls!" Astrid hisses through gritted teeth, terrified because she's moving faster.

_Ah, young love. _

Elsa has let go of Anna, and handed her over to Kristoff, and the two are skating, hand in hand, in a way that's ridiculously sweet but creepy at the same time.

"Flynn!" Rapunzel says cheerfully, grabbing Flynn by his hands before he can spin out of control. Like everything Rapunzel does, her skating is perfect after barely trying. Her new pupil, seemingly Flynn, does not have her Olympic-ready flair, though, and he continues to fail.

Jack can spot Elsa skating by herself, and wills himself not to go after her, but she's skating further way from the rest of them, where the ice doesn't look steady. Frantic, something's happening to Jack. His vision is blurring and all he can see is thin cracks in ice, cracks that aren't actually in front of him but rather in his mind. He looks towards Kristoff, who's the master on ice knowledge, but he's gaily laughing with Anna and holding her hips.

Jack can't make himself speak, he can see the ice is thin, the water rushing under its transparent covering. He runs as fast as he can towards her, and the merriment of the couples around him can't be heard anymore. All he hears is cries, cries and then he hears the sharp cracking of the delicate clearness, all in his head yet again. Elsa's not in danger, she isn't, but he's sure that she is, and he's still running, until everyone else looks at him to see what's gotten into him, and he's calling for Elsa, calling for her to step away, but she doesn't.

"Jack," Elsa says, "Jack, stop!" He skids to a halt at her command, hearing fear laced in her voice. "Jack, just move carefully. Slowly."

Elsa was no fool, especially not about ice. The ice she had been on seemed thin, but it wasn't. It was the ice that Jack ran on that was thin.

Jack takes a cautious step, and he watches as a dozen tiny lines spread out from under his toes, the ice shifting under his feet.

"Jack!" Rapunzel's voice rises out above the others, and she makes a muffled cry that Flynn soothes instantly, murmuring that she can't distract him.

"Just take another step," Elsa's blue eyes were wide, wide with worry and concern. Jack does, and it cracks even worse.

Rapunzel and Anna were being shoved towards the edge of the lake by Flynn and Kristoff, and Astrid pauses on the middle of the lake, even when Hiccup quietly begs her to leave, grabbing her hand. She doesn't, though, her eyes trained on Jack.

Elsa gives him a slight nod to keep walking, and Jack does, but it's cracking, and he can watch a crease form on her forehead. Elsa's worried, quite worried in fact, and she splays her hands out, waiting for him to keep going.

He takes another step, one that is the worst yet, and Elsa gasps, her hands grabbing at air but coming up with nothing.

Her face is the last thing Jack sees, her eyes wide, pupils small, mouth terrified and her hands outstretched, before he slips into darkness.

* * *

**December 10**

His head fucking hurts. There's light, shining in his eyes, and he instantly screws them shut to make it go away. There's noises too, someone talking and something warm on his forehead, and Jack just lets himself sink back into sleep, praying that it'll go away if he focuses it hard enough. Nope. Focus isn't working either, that's gone. Fucking died with-

He pauses. Maybe he's dead; that would explain a lot. Like the annoying sounds that vaguely register as singing and the brightness. This must be heaven. He's kind of surprised that he got there in the first place. Either God is merciful or hell just happens to look really bright.

The singing is familiar, and mournful, maybe he's at a funeral. He cracks open another eye and sees blurry white, if he fixes his vision on one of the white things, it looks like a strand of hair.

Hair... He opens both eyes and sees someone's head of hair, white and billowing in the sunlight. Oh. So he's not dead.

"Jack!" he hears a piercing scream of two girls and he knows that the singing was only those two; only Rapunzel and Anna would harmonize like that.

_Maybe it was hell. _

"Jack?" It's so quiet, Jack's sure that only he heard it. Elsa's head pops up from where it's resting on his chest, and Jack's blurry vision takes in the sight around him: Anna, Rapunzel, Astrid, and Merida tower over him and look down at him joyfully- well, not really joyfully. Not all of them. Merida and Astrid look half-relieved, half-livid.

And Elsa... She looks like she hasn't gotten a wink of sleep in days. Bags under her brilliant eyes and unbrushed hair, but Jack registers that she still looks perfect. Hell, she'd look perfect even when she wasn't trying. His mind's wandering, he knows, and his eyes are shutting again, but his attention is snapped back when someone punches him in the gut, the warm cloth on his forehead slipping off.

"That's for scaring us!" Astrid yells, and she leans over to give his cheek a quick kiss, something that Astrid would never do, except to maybe Hiccup. "And that's for...everything else."

"Yer a stupid arse, laddie," Merida chimes in, but there's a smattering of tears on her face and she shakes her head. "Gettin' yerself bedridden."

"Great to see you guys, too," Jack mumbles, and he doesn't recognize his voice, it's too cracked and dry and he can't even make enough moisture in his mouth to lick his lips.

"Oh, we thought you were dead, or in a coma, or-" Rapunzel's wringing her hands, looking like she might cry, but instead she grabs a glass of water and a few small pills. "You should take some medicine."

"Naw," Jack mutters.

"These two thought ye were in a coma, so they kept tryin' tae wake ye up," Merida rolls her eyes.

"Was that the singing?" Jack smiles, closing his eyes, even when Rapunzel gently pushes Elsa aside and lifts Jack's chin, trying to force water down his throat.

"Rapunzel said that familiar sounds might wake somebody up," Anna justifies their actions, but she smiles.

"More like remind me why I stayed under," Jack jokes, and the two feign hurt for a few seconds before they're back to smiling.

Elsa still hasn't spoken since she the beginning, despite the fact that she was sprawled out over his chest still, her legs dangling off the bed at an odd angle, and can only stare at Jack with her tired eyes like she was waiting.

"I'm going to leave your medicine," Rapunzel says, and smiles, placing them onto Jack's bedside, and Jack only acknowledges with a small nod, keeping his eyes locked with Elsa's.

"You could've died," Elsa finally talks, and it's hushed. She and Jack seem to be the only people in the room then, and the rest disappear. Elsa lifts her chin like she's contemplating something, her eyes flicker over Jack's mouth, and she kisses him.

She kisses him like they're alone, the way they kiss when one of them feels bad; by taking their time to press their very soul into each caress of lips upon lips. They barely hear Rapunzel's coo, or Merida's yuck, or Anna's jubilant cries that she knew it.

Well, that secret was out.

* * *

**December 11**

Jack's sitting with Hiccup, and Astrid's sitting with Merida, and the four are just relaxing on the couch.

"Say something," Jack tells them, because it's too quiet. "I know you guys were thinking about yesterday."

"You could've died," Hiccup says, but Astrid's voice overlaps him.

"You're with Elsa."

"Great to see where your priorities lie," Hiccup says sarcastically, and Astrid pinches his arm.

"Both are true," Jack says, and he grins.

"It's not funny!" Hiccup exclaims, but this time, it's Merida that speaks at the same time he does.

"She can do better."

"Besides, everyone already knew that," Hiccup sighs. "Him and Elsa were pretty obvious."

"What? I didn't know that," Astrid says.

"You don't pick up on anything, so that's not hard to believe," Jack says, and that earns him a harsh glare and a promise of death.

"She wouldn't talk to anyone but him," Hiccup points out, and Astrid pinches her boyfriend again, unhappy at being proved dumb.

"They also sleep in the same room," Merida says, and Astrid pinches Merida next.

"What?" It's Hiccup's turn to be confused. "I didn't know that."

"Did you guys fu-" Hiccup's hand is clamped over Astrid's mouth before she can finish the sentence.

"Whatever you say is going to be offensive and gross," Hiccup chastises his girlfriend, and Astrid frowns and speaks, her voice muffled by Hiccup's fingers, but it's clear that he can hear her, because he winces. "Ouch."

"Enough about that," Merida rolls her eyes, "Ye and Elsa are too weird fer me. But it was obvious."

"Does everyone know, then?" Jack asks.

"Rapunzel and Anna knew it," Astrid has managed to tear Hiccup's hand away from her mouth, but not without a struggle, as it seemed, because Hiccup was silently nursing a bleeding fingernail. "Kristoff probably doesn't care. Flynn wouldn't notice anything if it hit him in the face, and Toothless, well, he doesn't do anything except be all over Merida-"

"He does not!" Merida's face is as red as her hair.

"Yeah, he does. I walked in on your guys once, and he-"

"Please, please don't finish that sentence," Hiccup begs, and Astrid laughs, but Merida's mortified and shoots Jack a glare when he joins Astrid in her merriment.

"It's great to know _I'm_ not the gossip around here, then," Jack says. Merida sticks out her tongue at Jack, and even Hiccup chuckles, joining Astrid and Jack in laughter.

* * *

**December 12**

Jack enters the bedroom of the latest safe house that he and Elsa share, but instead of her sitting on the mattress they're sharing, she's sitting against the wall, her legs bunched up to her chest, her chin propped up onto her knees. She doesn't turn when he comes in, instead, she stares straight ahead.

"Why did you go onto that ice?"

The question throws Jack for a loop. Even before he'd stepped out onto that frozen lake, his eyes and his head were giving him different signals. He has been seeing things that weren't there, he had only imagined that Elsa had been in danger, but he doesn't know where these terrible memories come from.

"I was worried about you," Jack says instead, gruffly.

"I wasn't going to fall in," Elsa turns her head now, facing Jack, her eyes wide, but there's a small flash of anger. Almost immediately, though, it's gone, and her face softens. "I thought- I thought-" Her face is buried in her arms, and there's a small sob that chokes out of her throat.

Jack understands what she's trying to say, and he stoops to her level, like a father might comfort his daughter, and he lays a hand on her shoulder.

"I know," he says softly, and Elsa lifts her face, and she lets go of her knees, and she pulls Jack against her, wrapping her arms around his neck and yanking him so that his chest crashes against hers with a strength neither knew she possessed, and their mouths press together, Elsa's back hitting the floor and Jack caging her with his arms, his elbows propping him up so that he doesn't crush her, but their legs are tangled in each other's, Jack's knee is trapped between Elsa's legs.

She runs her fingers through his hair, her nails lightly scraping his scalp, boldly taking his lower lip in between her own and sucking. Jack wants to run his hands over her, too, but they're supporting him, and lets Elsa take control of their kissing, her hands roaming down his back, and Jack finally rolls them both to the side, his arms capturing Elsa in an embrace, and his lips move to the side of her face, pressing small kisses to her ear, cheek, and nose.

Elsa lets him, and doesn't stop him when his mouth, warm and wet, travels south and nips at her neck, she only shivers, but arches up to tell him that that she enjoys it. She lets his mouth travel to her collarbone, and she traces circles in his spine, and they lay together, on the floor, for what seems like an eternity.

* * *

**December 15**

"Aren't you excited?" Anna asks Rapunzel when she and Jack were washing dishes, and Anna bounds up to them, a wide smile plastered onto her face. "It's ten days till Christmas!"

_First of all, how the hell does she keep track of days? _

"That's nice," Jack says.

"Really?" Rapunzel's voice overlaps his.

"We should do something," Anna suggests. "Christmas carols. Obviously, we can't give presents or bake cookies-"

"What was your first clue, Sherlock?" Jack snickers, but Rapunzel elbows him to tell him to keep quiet.

"That sounds fun!" Rapunzel says. "Maybe we can get a Christmas tree, too!"

She forgets that the only fucking trees were either dead or broken sticks.

"Yes!" Anna jubilantly exclaims.

"Sometimes, I think I'm the only sane one here," Jack speaks.

"That's not even you, either," a new voice joins their conversation, and Elsa sits down at the table.

"You shouldn't be talking," Jack fires back.

"I'm more sane than you are," Elsa replies confidently.

"Aren't they cute together?" Anna asks Rapunzel, who nods.

"Shut up," Jack splashes soapy water at the both of them, but he catches Elsa's eyes and winks.

She laughs.

* * *

**December 20**

Anna and Rapunzel had, somehow, dragged in a tree into the safe house. Jack learns that it was Kristoff and Flynn who had chopped it down and hauled it in, and the two girls were scampering around, finding household items like scarves, silverware, anything that looks pretty to place onto the decaying, fragile branches.

"What. The. Fuck," Astrid breathes out when she and Hiccup are back from taking a walk, and they two pause to see the tree.

"Come help, Astrid!" Rapunzel says happily. "You two, Hic!"

"Uh-" Hiccup says.

"I walked into the wrong house," Astrid declares flatly.

Merida and Toothless have a similar reaction, anyway, when they come in with a basin of water.

"What the-?" Merida turns to Jack like she's blaming him, and Jack just shrugs.

"Best tree we could find," Flynn shrugs.

"Ah don't care about that, Rider. Why is there a tree in the first place?" Merida asks.

"Christmas," Kristoff offers, like that solves everything.

"Cool," Toothless decides, and Merida shoots him a look that tells him that he should be as weirded out as she is.

"Want to help trim the tree?" Rapunzel tosses a scarf, pink, in the direction of Merida in Toothless.

Merida watches it fall in disgust.

Toothless catches it.

"Scrooge," Jack grins cheekily at Merida, who in return sticks out her tongue, and pulls Toothless away.

"You'll help, right, Flynn?" Rapunzel smiles. Of course he'd help, it was so obvious that Flynn was smitten with her.

"Yeah," Flynn smiles back, charmingly. "I've always had a flair for beauty-"

"Obviously not, since you've got that face," Astrid retorts, but she's helping Anna string a few dusty necklaces onto the tree.

"You hurt me, Hofferson."

"Let's not fight," Hiccup declares, rational as he is, and he's helping Kristoff in the task of decorating a few branches with old lipstick tubes.

So Jack picks up a scarf and lays it on the tree, because, well, it was almost Christmas.


	8. I can't live with myself so stay with me

**Hopefully this story will be ending soon. I think with a few more chapters, it can get wrapped up nicely. Ugh I don't like writing endings, and then there will be an epilogue, but this contains major betrayal and angst and feels. There's blood mentioned here, and other stuff like suicide, and if you're not okay with that, I honestly have no idea why you're here, but please don't leave! Just skip this chapter- or skip those parts- my update is forever late, I'm sorry this chapter is out later than usual- I decided I want to publish two new stories and I'm stupid for working on them instead of this. Okay, here's a list of cuties that make my day: **

**CocoVanillaMilk **

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**A Battle Inside My Heart **

**I recently got over 100 reviews, and that just makes me so happy, and I want to hug each and every one of you that helped me get there. I'm sending my love over the Internet.. **

**This chapter's song: **

**_"I've lost my goddamn mind, It happens all the time, I can't believe I'm actually meant to be here. Trying to consume, The drug in me is you. And I'm so high on misery, Can't you see?"_**** The Drug In Me Is You- ****Falling in Reverse. **

* * *

**December 24**

"It's Christmas Eve," Astrid informs Jack when he stumbles out of his bedroom at roughly ten in the morning, hair ruffled terribly from a restless night because Elsa had practically shoved him on the floor- not to mention Elsa had found his bed head funny in the morning and had ran her fingers through it.

"I see you're holding up your promise," Jack remarks, and Astrid smiles.

"I said I would."

"Well, it's Christmas Eve," Jack said. "Any plans?"

"We can't exactly give presents or anything, so no," Astrid says. "Though Hiccup said he found powdered hot chocolate packets. We'll have to drink them with hot water, but it's something, right?"

"Wonderful," Jack says, but he's saying it sarcastically. "I love hot chocolate."

"Oh, yeah, you're the weirdo who likes everything cold," Astrid rolls her eyes. "The only other person like that is probably Elsa. No wonder you two hooked up."

"Are you done poking fun and boring me?" Jack asks, smirking.

"Go eat breakfast," Astrid replies with a wave of her hand. "Hiccup cooked."

"Hiccup always cooks," Jack responds, but he leaves to the kitchen anyway to see what the day's gross food is.

Rapunzel, Merida, and Flynn are the only people there in the kitchen, everyone else has left, so Jack sits next to Merida and looks inside of the pot.

It's some weird tuna-and-olives creation, but Jack spoons it into a bowl and tries to force it down.

"Mornin' sunshine," Merida says playfully, and that's something that Merida never is: playful. Christmas was just infectious, Jack supposed. Himself, he isn't immune, but the Christmas joy doesn't exactly come as easy as it used to.

"If anyone is sunshine, it's miss rainbows-and-unicorns over there," Jack points a silver spoon he held towards Rapunzel.

"I'm offended," Rapunzel declares.

"He's right," Flynn sides with Jack.

Rapunzel leans back like she's wounded, but she shares a smile with both of them to let them know that she secretly likes her nickname.

"Anna and Kristoff came by here earlier," Merida informs them all when silence breaks out. "They seem tae be really happy together. Ah think they're datin' now."

"Listen to her," Jack is astounded, and he sets his spoon down. "Who are you and where is Merida?"

"You do seem happy today, Merida," Rapunzel says, noting the redhead's expression. "Like you're in love..." She dragged the last part out, batting her eyelashes.

"Isn't it obvious? Toothless and her probably just fu-" Flynn never finished his sentence due to Rapunzel's slap on his shoulder. "Alright, alright, Blondie!"

"Did Toothless tell you he loves you?" Rapunzel coos, leaning closer to Merida, and Merida's blushing a shade of red Jack never knew a human being could create.

"Girl talk," Flynn groans, "Jack, make it stop."

"So let's have dude talk," Jack counters, turning to Flynn and flashing a cocky smirk. "Did Rapunzel tell you she looovess you?"

"Jack Frost!" Rapunzel's attention is taken away from Merida, and she's also blushing red, sputtering nonsense as Jack smirks.

"Whatever, man. What about Elsa then, huh?" Flynn elbows Jack. "You're pretty-"

"Flynn, I know I'm pretty, but-"

"I was going to say pretty whipped-"

"Oi, shut up, yeh two," Merida says. "It's Christmas Eve and that means we're goin' tae enjoy time together."

"Definitely not Merida," Jack decides. "You must have kidnapped the real Merida."

* * *

**December 24**

"Merry Christmas," Hiccup slides a mug, chipped but mostly intact, full of brown liquid towards Jack from across the table. Jack accepts it, and he smiles when Hiccup takes the seat next to him with his own mug.

Candlelight illuminated their hideous tree, but hardly anyone noticed. Rapunzel and Anna sit cross-legged under the tree, Flynn and Kristoff at their sides respectively, singing Christmas carols, their lyrics punctured with sips of the hot chocolate the girls hold. Toothless and Merida sit not that far off, Toothless wrapping one lazy arm around Merida's waist, Merida keeping her head burrowed in his shoulder.

It's exactly five minutes to midnight, so Anna tells them. Jack's still not sure how she knows all this, since clocks and all have been out of order for months, but they take her word for it. Astrid takes the other seat by Hiccup, and Jack's aware that Elsa sits on the other side of him that Hiccup doesn't occupy.

It's a funny sight. They're all just around, like a family or something. And Jack doesn't want a family- not even a new one. Elsa finds his hand under the table, and she clutches it carefully, and she visibly relaxes when Jack clutches it in return.

"It's almost midnight," Elsa says, "Finish your drink." Jack opens his mouth to say something, to say that she wasn't the boss of him, but Elsa's smiling too much and she hardly smiles, so he takes the mug and sips from it. It's lukewarm, and tolerable, though it's made with lake water and powdered cocoa substitution. Jack lets Elsa take it and drink from it, too, and she drinks most of it until he sends her off telling her to get her own.

"Have a holly, jolly Christmas-" Rapunzel and Anna harmonize perfectly, their voices lifting towards them all, and Elsa leans closer to Jack, resting her head on his shoulder.

The scene is actually peaceful. Comforting. If that's what you can call a zombie hunting team spending holidays together. Jack shifts closer to Elsa too and wraps an arm around her shoulders.

She makes him feel safe.

Happy.

Maybe even loved.

He doesn't want to love her back. He shouldn't. He can't. But she's so still and soft and fits perfectly in his arms, and Jack relaxes into her touch, Elsa doing the same.

* * *

**December 25**

Midnight, exactly the 25th.

"Merry Christmas!" voices exclaim, the entire team, and Jack's surprised to hear his own voice among them.

He lifts Elsa's chin up and pulls her in for a quick, perfect kiss.

* * *

**December 30**

"I don't want to leave you alone," Elsa murmurs before Jack can sit up in the morning, her sleepy revelations slipping onto Jack's chest, where her head rests.

"I want to come with you," Jack says against her hairline, sure she's still sleeping, but Elsa shakes her head slowly.

"Rapunzel's coming, so is Flynn, and then there's Merida and Toothless. That's all we can have," she says. "Five." There's a pause. "We're just going a day's journey from here. We'll come back to the safe house. You know the procedure- unless this house is compromised, then you guys have to find the nearest-"

"I know," Jack interrupts her, and smiles. "You're rambling again."

"I do that in the morning," Elsa says softly, and exhales, Jack feeling her body bowing under his arms. "We're leaving at dawn."

"The sun's already starting to rise."

"I know."

Elsa shuffles out of bed, slipping out of Jack's embrace, and stands, watching him.

"Watch after Anna for me," Elsa mutters. "The team."

Jack only nods, and wonders why she wants Anna to be watched in particular, but before he can ask her, she's gone.

* * *

**December 30**

"They're not here, you idiot, they're not here!" Jack hears these words when he actually wakes up and gets out of bed, and spots Astrid hitting Hiccup with a book. They both turn when Jack coughs, and Hiccup blanches, while Astrid gives Hiccup one final whack, tossing the frayed, yellowed bunch of pages aside.

"It looks like Anna and Kristoff-" Hiccup sighs, and rubs his neck awkwardly. "They're not here."

"What do you mean, they're not-" Jack is cut off by Astrid.

"We found a note. The _fucking_ tossers left to get _fucking_ m-"

"What Astrid means," Hiccup winces at her language, but it's clear that she's angry, with her red face, and a vein that looks like it'll burst popping out on her forehead, so her cursing was justifiable,"Is that Anna and Kristoff seem to have- eloped. In a way. They're going to build a house together and find a state to live in, and start a life there. Minus the zombie hunting."

"So this is their way of quitting the zombie hunters," Jack says slowly, and suddenly Elsa's warning made sense. She must've known that her younger sister was going to do something like this.

"You know what this means?" Astrid is still angry, and she's waving her arms around unhappily. "The two left us down to three in one house. Do you think three people can get out the supplies in case we're attacked? Do you think three people can fight a crowd of zombies? Do you think three _fucking_ people can-"

"Stop cursing," Hiccup tells her calmly. "Stop. It's not good for your blood pressure-"

"Don't fucking tell me what to do, I'll fucking cuss if I want to!"

Astrid was having serious issues. She seemed to be taking their absence to heart for some reason.

"Astrid," Hiccup says, and he places a hand on her shoulder. "They're going to be okay. We're going to be okay." Astrid's breathing slows, and it sounds normal, but she starts crying, loud sobs that causes her chest to heave and her face crumples. She buries her face in her hands and full on cries, while Hiccup hugs her close.

Jack awkwardly sticks his hands in his pockets and looks around, wondering if it would seem rude to walk away.

"Shh, Astrid. Let's go to your room," Hiccup says softly, and he leads her away.

Jack's still trying to figure it out by the time Hiccup comes back, and he signals to Hiccup that he wants to learn the full story with an expectant raise of eyebrows.

Hiccup sighs, but he sits on the couch, and Jack sits down with him.

"Astrid has abandonment issues," Hiccup says quietly. "She- remember when we met her? Well, Rapunzel told me that Anna told you two. That Astrid was locked in a closet when they found her."

"So what does that have to do with-"

"Her family left her," Hiccup says, "Without telling her. She knows that didn't die. They weren't in danger. They were using her as bait in case any zombies went to their house."

Jack has to admit that as stories went, Astrid's was terrible. Worse, maybe, than watching the people you love die would be to have the people you love abandon you. It probably hurt as much as their death- and Jack understands why Astrid was so angry a lot of the time.

"That's horrible," Jack says slowly. Hiccup nods.

"Then you understand why she freaked out over Kristoff and Anna leaving. It's too personal, even if they left a note and all that."

"Elsa's going to freak," Jack sighs, and he looks towards the door as if Kristoff and Anna might parade through it. "I just hope the two don't die- there's safety in numbers." And for some reason, he smiles, because this is something Merida told him when he didn't want to join Elsa's team.

And now, he couldn't live without that team.

"I really hope so, too," Hiccup admits.

* * *

**January 3**

They come at noon. Toothless was wounded- his gun went off when he didn't expect it, and got shot in the shoulder, but thanks to Rapunzel's bandages, he didn't die from blood loss. Merida, though, acted like he plumb died and came back to life by the way she kept kissing his cheek and crooning over his wound.

Elsa looked tired, weary, and Flynn had to help her walk just to the couch, Rapunzel looking on warily, jabbering on about how she would fix up some soup, insisting it would help her feel better.

"Where's Anna?" Elsa asks, wide blue eyes connecting with Jack's. She's shaking, her face paler than usual, and Flynn shakes his head, giving her a gentle nudge to lay down.

"She and Kristoff-" Hiccup shoots a quick look to Astrid, who's in the kitchen, and lowers his voice. "They left."

"What do you mean, they le-" Flynn's words are cut off by Hiccup's hand clamp over his mouth, and he seems to understand.

"Elsa?" Jack asks, seeing that her face has gone ashen. "Elsa.."

"She left me," Elsa whispers, half to herself.

"Elsa, no, no-" Rapunzel is quick to say, but Elsa shakes her head, falling backward onto the couch.

Astrid runs in Elsa's soup, and Rapunzel lifts the bowl to Elsa's lips, but Elsa won't drink and she looks to someplace in the distance.

"She left me" is all she utters, and she closes her eyes, and Jack just plain snaps.

"Elsa!" he grips her shoulders, shaking her roughly. "Don't, don't do this- please don't-"

"Get him out of here!" Rapunzel commands, trying to pry Jack away from her and get in between them. Flynn pulls Jack by the arms, but Jack thrashes and hits Flynn in the face, trying to get to Elsa, to hold her close.

"Jack!" Hiccup helps Flynn pull him away, and the two managed to lock Jack in a room.

"No!" Jack throws himself at the door, but it's locked, and they must've shoved something heavy in front of the door, because it won't budge. He sinks to the floor, finally, and hopes that she's okay.

* * *

**January 5**

"She was weak."

Rapunzel utters this when Jack finally steps into the kitchen. After two days, he'd finally got the courage to leave his room. He's still mad at Rapunzel, and mad at Flynn and Jack, though he supposes he has them to thank for leaving food at his door even after they'd unlocked his door. The main thing he'd really missed, though, was sleep.

That never came without Elsa anymore.

He remembers Rapunzel's statement, and watches her wash dishes- something the two of them usually do together- and goes rigid before he asks, his voice low.

"How weak?"

"She wouldn't eat," Rapunzel says, quietly, water sloshing the only sound in the room. "She wouldn't sleep. All she wanted was to get through the mission as quickly as she could, and she tried to rush us along. She said she had a bad feeling about the mission- right after she said that, Toothless shot himself by accident. Well, the rest of us were freaking by then, sure that the mission was jinxed, and then we were surrounded. Elsa probably killed them all off, easily, she was that determined."

Jack exhales, and pinches the bridge of his nose. "She knew Anna wanted to leave with Kristoff."

"Probably," Rapunzel says. "She- well, she wasn't doing good, Jack. She's just recovering with sleep and fluids until she's better. Don't worry."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

He goes to help her with the dishes.

* * *

**January 7**

Jack sits next to her bed each day. Just watching her. Holding her hand sometimes, though a few times he's let his palm rest on her forehead, feeling her fever. Usually he doesn't talk, but sometimes he just mutters things to her. Just letting her know that he's there, that he won't leave.

Elsa's face is always more peaceful when she's asleep, but today there's a crease between her eyebrows, like she's bothered by something.

Jack presses a light kiss to her forehead and notes that her fever seems to have broken. He figures he out to get Rapunzel, but Elsa's eyelids flutter.

"Anna," she murmurs, and Jack can't bring himself to remind her that Anna's been gone. He remembers that time Anna ran away, and they all worried that she died, and that Elsa had been a wreck. Now that he sister really left, she might not be that stable.

So Jack sits down next to her again.

* * *

**January 11**

"She's sitting up," Rapunzel says cheerfully, while Hiccup sets breakfast on the table and Jack, Merida, and Astrid look up from books they're reading.

Of course, by reading, it meant the three were poring the pages for offensive and funny lines to read to the group, and they had decided to make it a game.

"She is?" Jack sits up eagerly, but Merida gives his chest a push back downward.

"Slow down there, Romeo, let her rest," Merida snaps.

"Merida's right," Rapunzel says, sitting down next to the three. "Where's Toothless?"

"Oh, he's still sleepin'," Merida says. "A long night."

"Oh, I'll bet the night was long," Astrid waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"That's not what ah meant, ye disgusti'-" Merida clabbers on but the rest tune her out.

"Elsa does want to see you, though," Rapunzel says, then her voice lowers. "But she keeps asking for Anna."

Jack sighs. "She's her sister, of course she'd going to ask for her."

"She's really the only family Elsa had left," Hiccup points out, "But she didn't want to zombie hunt anymore. We really can't blame them for leaving."

He's interrupted by the sound of metal scraping metal, Astrid pushing her chair back.

"I have to go," she mumbles, and leaves, almost taking off in a run, and Hiccup closes his eyes and sighs, remembering that the subject's a trigger for Astrid. He sets his spoon down and follows her, leaving Jack, Rapunzel and Merida alone.

"She's okay," Rapunzel says, for Jack's benefit. "She'll get over it. We'll just have to convince her that Anna and Kristoff love each other and things like that-"

"She won't get over it," Jack shakes his head and stands up, leaving his soup on the table.

Rapunzel watches him leave dejectedly, and turns to face Merida.

"He's got a point," Merida says slowly. "This is somethin' a lass can't jist ignore, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel sighs.

* * *

**January 16**

Jack wakes up to the sound of screaming.

He nearly falls out of his bed at the sound, first of all, but next, there's pounding feet and he can hear hysterical sobs, which he recognizes as Rapunzel's. There's heavy, harsh words spewed with a Scottish accent and then he can hear Astrid banging around in her loud way, followed by Hiccup's groggy voice, Flynn's calls, Toothless's quiet one.

"She's- she's-" Rapunzel is saying, and Jack flings open his door, almost knocking it over in the process.

His mind doesn't comprehend the scene in front of him, but they're all staring at him with wide, anxious and terrified eyes, and then his eyes land on Toothless, who's holding someone in his arms, not unlike the time Hiccup was injured.

"What? I don't-" Jack trails off when he looks, actually looks, at the person Toothless holds. It was Elsa. It must've been her before, but it didn't look anything like her.

First of all, blood stained her white nightgown, gashes on her arms and legs oozing the substance. It was soaking her hair, and staining her pristine, pale skin, all over. Jack feels strange, just looking at her. He's quiet, and he reaches for her hand, her skin colder than usual at the touch. He doesn't know what noise he made, or what he even did, but Flynn was restraining him not a minute later, and Astrid was helping him.

"Stop!" Astrid barks, yanking roughly on his shoulder. Flynn twists his arm around his back, and Jack isn't aware how long he's been screaming, a shrill scream, until the two manage to lock him in a room and shut him in there.

This was just like last time, and Jack slumps to the floor and he doesn't understand why he's crying, he doesn't understand why seeing her makes him feel like he just died. He shouldn't have let her sleep alone. She had just been so distant after Anna's death, and then-

She'd seemed to be getting better the past week. She had quietly accepted that Anna was gone, so it seemed, and she had even eaten and bathed and went on with life normally. And now- she'd just tried to kill herself.

Jack wants to blame Hiccup for leaving the knives out or anyone else than Elsa herself. He wants to hate Anna, he wants to hate Kristoff, he wants to hate them all.

Fuck this. They had been a zombie hunting team. Zombie hunting seemed to be the last thing they ever thought of now.

* * *

**January 18**

It's now a year since the first time Jack, Rapunzel, Hiccup and Merida had found Elsa and her team.

Jack sits next to her sleeping form. She hadn't died. At least she was okay. But she lost a lot of blood. Rapunzel had told Jack this just last night before and Jack had instantly offered his own.

"You hate needles," Rapunzel had said, but Jack had insisted. So she had cleaned a syringe and took a pint of his blood, and had inserted the fluid into Elsa's system. Jack had then said that he'd watch her. Rapunzel had paused by the door right before she left and told Jack that she was proud of him before she left, like a mother might do.

Back to the present, Jack takes Elsa's limp hand in his own and sighs, and bites back an urge to rage. Instead, he strokes her hair, slightly wet, because Merida and Rapunzel had bathed Elsa of blood not long ago. His fingers glide over crusted scabs of blood and cuts that marred her skin and he felt his insides clench.

"I hate you," Jack says to her, and waits for her to respond with a snarky comment. Of course, she doesn't. Jack stands up straight and he knocks over the chair he's been sitting on, and he smacks the wall with his fist, and he probably kicks it too, his voice raising. "Damn it, I hate you!"

Elsa doesn't stir, but he expects that, and Jack crouches on his knees by her bed and fists the sheets. "I hate you," he breathes, but it's soft. Elsa's still quiet, and Jack's breathing is heavy and loud in the room, too prominent in the quiet atmosphere. He moves so that his forehead touches hers, feels her scars, and sucks in air sharply.

"I don't hate you," he practically laughs, and then he parts from her and he looks at her. "I love you."

Those three simple words and he felt relieved. He felt like he was weight had been lifted from his chest, he felt like everything finally made sense. Jack slid so that he was sitting on the floor and he looked up at the bed. "I love you."

He probably repeated the statement a hundred times before he kissed her cold lips once and left.


	9. We all have our demons to fight

**I got the best reviews I've ever gotten, and they all either expressed disbelief or feels or anything and as a writer that's so amazing and I can't believe that could ever happen to me! Ahem. So. On a calmer note, I received a review that said that they could not read this story due to the amount of curse words. I rated this T, but on account of children that might wander onto this story (though I don't know why you would) should I rate it M? It's just a thought. It would only be rated for language, not sexual situations, so if that's not your cup of tea than don't worry. Plus, people were expressing their disdain on the upcoming end... and that's so sweet, don't worry, we've still got a stretch of chapters, at least five or so, I'd guess. Probably more because my endings never feel right. And, also, someone posted a review saying "No offense but I hate Jackunzel", and while that's cool for you, that has nothing to do with my story, so uh, could you not post reviews like that? It's rather annoying. I'm not trying to hate on any sort of ship, imply any other type of ship, and Jackunzel is not included in this here story, so please, please don't post things like that. I would really appreciate it. :) And anyway, here are the many people that make my life so amazing- and did I mention I got over 100 favorites? That made me so happy when I saw that and I was just freaking out. **

**Cath **

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**Why? ANNA?!**

**DeniseAgron **

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**bs13 **

**This chapter's song:****_ "No matter how many times that you told me you wanted to leave, No matter how many breaths that you took, you still couldn't breathe, No matter how many nights that you lie wide awake to the sound of poison rain, Where did you go?...As days go by, the night's on fire, Tell me would you kill to save a life? Tell me would you kill to prove you're right? Crash, crash, burn, let it all burn, This hurricane's chasing us all underground. No matter how many deaths that I die I will never forget, No matter how many lives that I live, I will never regret, There is a fire inside of this heart, And a riot about to explode into flames. Where is your God?"_****Hurricane**** by Thirty Seconds to Mars **

* * *

**January 20**

"O' course ah am, ah haven' bleed in two months!"

Jack wanders in onto that sensitive subject at around eight in the morning and wishes that he'd slept in.

Merida's practically screeching at Rapunzel, and the two girls are setting breakfast (Hiccup, it seemed, was still sleeping). Both turn to face Jack, and then Merida colors deep red while Rapunzel starts sputtering about how Jack needed some more sleep after watching Elsa all night.

"What're we having?" Jack ignores Rapunzel and sits down, watching as Rapunzel fiddles with her hair and Merida is silent.

"Oh! We're having some strange canned beef," Rapunzel says, "Apparently that's a thing. Plus peas."

"Sounds gross," Jack sits at the table. "Bring it on." Rapunzel grabs a bowl for Jack and goes to serve him, to which Jack smiles his thanks, but then he turns that same smile onto Merida. "So."

Merida scowls. "Rack off."

"I didn't even say anything."

"Ah'm not up for yer comments this early in th' mornin', Frost," Merida sits across from him and drums her fingers on the table irritably.

"I mean, I'm just guessing," Jack says, and Rapunzel slides a plate towards him. "That- thanks, Punz- that you've got a problem."

Merida scowls again. "It's not yer business."

"Have you got something in the oven?" Jack grins.

"Yer not even supposed tae know what a period is!" Merida snaps.

"I'm not stupid, Mer, and we all took sex ed in school," Jack points his spoon. "But that's not important. So you got knocked up, huh?"

"Shut. Up," Merida hisses through clenched teeth. "If ye want tae live."

They're both quiet save for Jack's munching for a few seconds. "So now that you're pregnant, are you going to be all crazy hormonal and stuff?"

Merida smacks her palms on the table angrily, and she drags her chair back so fast that it falls over. "AH'LL KILL YEH, FROST!"

Jack runs for his life like a smart man.

* * *

**January 25**

They haven't left the safe house since Anna left. Jack thinks that maybe Elsa's hoping that Anna and Kristoff would return and he doesn't say anything about it. She is the leader and everything she says goes, even if the others don't agree.

Jack sits by her bedside, and waits for her to wake up. She's been waking up to exchange a few words here and there, but she still usually asks for Anna.

Jack lays a hand on her shoulder, and he can feel Elsa stirring.

"Anna," Elsa murmurs, and her eyes open. They close again when she notices it's just Jack. "Oh."

"That disappointed?" Jack jokes, but Elsa doesn't even smile.

"I miss her," she whispers instead, hands curling into the sheets, strands of hair falling over her forehead.

"I know," Jack says, sobering. "She's happy, with Kristoff. Not everyone's made out for zombie hunting."

"She's not made for zombie hunting," Elsa gives a small, rueful laugh. "She never was. I just dragged her along with my obsessive revenge."

"Elsa-"

"Don't," Elsa cuts him off. "Don't try and tell me that she loves me or that she just wanted to leave or something like that because I know. I know that she tried to be happy, but she didn't like instability, she loves to explore, and that she always wanted a family- let's be realistic. She wanted this, and it's selfish of me to want to keep her around forever."

"It's not selfish," Jack shoots back, "I felt the same way about Emma." He's quiet for a few seconds, and Elsa waits patiently. "She wasn't mine to have, either. She was too good for me. I guess that's why He took her away from me."

"Are you religious?" Elsa asks.

"Not much. I believe in God, I went to church, I prayed, but it wasn't my life," Jack says, and then he gives a bitter laugh. "I think I'd go to hell if all that heaven and hell exists."

"I believe in heaven," Elsa says softly, and she starts to sit up. Jack goes to help support her, and he cradles her in his arms, slipping onto the bed next to her. "I like to imagine my parents are there. That they're happy. That they're keeping Anna safe." She smiles. "My mom always looked like an angel in white. And my dad and her are at least together." She looks at Jack. "You wouldn't go to hell."

"Who says?"

"You're too good."

"Name one good thing I've done."

"Been there for me," Elsa presses a kiss to Jack's chin. "Just stay with me. For a long time."

"How long?" Jack nuzzles her scalp.

"A very long time," Elsa says.

"That's pretty damn long," Jack mutters. Elsa laughs and locks eyes with him.

"Rapunzel told me about Merida."

"Okay, and?"

"She and Toothless are going to have a family, Jack," Elsa says, and she retracts from his touch, just a little. "I think that they might give up zombie hunting, and-" She pauses to lay a hand on his collarbone. "I want them too. Maybe live like Anna and Kristoff."

"You want them to just leave the group?" Jack asks, shocked. "Merida's been my friend for a long time, one of my best friends, and if she wasn't here-"

"Maybe it's time we gave up zombie hunting," Elsa says quietly.

"What?" Jack's flabbergasted. "Give it up?"

"Someday, Jack, I want the same thing Merida has," Elsa says, and when she looks at Jack, she has tears in her eyes. "She's in love. She's going to have a baby. With a man who loves her back. And I'm jealous of her."

"You have me," Jack says, and he kisses her desperately. "You'll always have me."

"I made a mistake," Elsa gestures to the healing cuts on her arms and legs. "I want to fix it. I want to get my life together."

"You can start by cooking. You never cook. Or clean, come to think of it."

Elsa cracks a smile.

* * *

**January 28**

Jack walks into the kitchen and he spots Elsa with wet hair plastered to her head, grime on her hands, and Rapunzel holding a frying pan behind her. Both look freaked.

"...Did I miss anything important?" Jack asks. He knew that Hiccup took a break from cooking that day- Elsa was supposed to cover for him- and Rapunzel had took it upon herself to teach Elsa the domestic ways of a household. For some reason, they look like they've seen unpleasant things.

"Um-" Rapunzel hugs the frying pan to her chest and her eyebrows sag. "There's a problem in the kitchen."

"Meaning?" Jack crosses his arms.

"I hit Flynn in the face with the frying pan," Rapunzel offers.

"He's out in the kitchen," Elsa says, "And he hasn't woken up."

"Not even going to explain?" Jack walks past them into the kitchen.

"I swear I thought he was a zombie!" Rapunzel cries. "Elsa thought he was too!" She swings the pan to point at Elsa.

"Hey, he was covered in mud!" Elsa insists like they've been discussing for this for a long time. "He was bringing the water basin, and he dropped it in the river, and then he had to dive in and get it, so he looks like something out of a horror movie!"

Jack surveys the damage, and he spots that Flynn has been half-shoved into a cupboard and the other half hangs out limply, face plastered to the floor. All of him is in fact covered in mud, his features unrecognizable. If he hadn't known that this was Flynn, Jack had to admit that he would've freaked out too.

"Great job, Rapunzel- you managed to knock out your boyfriend," Jack says.

"I panicked!" Rapunzel defends herself, frying pan out defensively.

"First of all, why shove him in a closet?" Jack wonders.

"It is a cupboard, and I didn't want anyone to find out!" Rapunzel says.

"...so you wanted to hide his body until he regained consciousness..." Jack says.

"No, I just wanted to prove-" Rapunzel exhales. "Fine. I didn't want anyone to know that I mistook Flynn for a zombie, but then I heard you coming, and-" she gestures to Flynn. "Um."

Elsa smooths wet strands of hair out of her face and fixes her falling braid, even though the dirt on her fingers makes it filthy. "I think that lunch is ready."

Jack peers over to see the fire that they've constructed, carefully contained in a tin pan, with a pot bubbling over the heat. By the pale yellow color, it's chicken noodle, but it smells like it's burning.

"So how long did it take to knock out Rider here?"

Rapunzel's eyes are wide and she shoves Jack out of the way, blowing out the fire and snatching a dish rag to lift the heated soup off.

"It burned," Rapunzel laments. Elsa goes to help her, but burns her fingers by touching the pot's side.

"Ouch!" Elsa yanks her hand back. "It's hot!"

"Great observation, Captain Obvious," Jack grabs Elsa's wrist and pulls her burned fingertips against his lips and gives them a chaste kiss.

Elsa blushes and she quietly gasps when Jack's tongue pokes out and laves her burned flesh. Almost immediately she yanks her hand back and goes to help Rapunzel with getting plates. Jack just smirks and pockets his hands.

"It's just a small amount of burned," Rapunzel says, "It's edible. Besides, it's Elsa's first time cooking so we're going to eat it."

"I've cooked before," Elsa insists, but then frowns. "Except I was eight and it was one of those lightbulb ovens..."

"See?" Rapunzel says cheerfully and pours the stuff into plates. "Get Hiccup and Astrid, and Toothless and Merida, and we'll-"

"What about Flynn?" Jack points out.

"Oh, yeah," Rapunzel thinks, but then shrugs. "He'll wake up eventually."

The other four were summoned and were all sat down to Rapunzel's tales of how Elsa had made a delicious meal for them all. Jack stifles his laughter when Elsa huffs.

Hiccup attempts to be polite. "It's, er, great, Elsa," Hiccup mutters, but he can only swallow one bite.

Astrid takes a sip and spits it back out, eyes wide.

Toothless quietly spoons down a sizable portion until he, too, seems to find it unsuitable and he slides the bowl away from him.

Merida's isn't quite so calm about it. "Ugh!" Merida says. "What is this?"

Jack tries it, and while it tastes like burnt, it also has too much water and too little flavor. Not to mention he swears that he sees iridescent and frothy bubbles, most likely soap.

Rapunzel smiles and takes a hearty drink, but then she stands up to run and spit it out in the most dignified way possible.

Elsa groans. Jack laughs. Then the whole table laughs. Hiccup stands and offers to cook, and Jack hugs Elsa to let her know that the notion was appreciated anyway.

They hear movement coming from the doorway, and the table (minus Rapunzel) whirls around to face him.

"Why was I shoved in-" Flynn's words are cut off by a loud bang, and Rapunzel stands behind him, terrified, frying pan raised. It's pretty clear she had just whacked the consciousness out of him again.

Eyes wide, Rapunzel looks around at the open mouthed table, then down at Flynn, and back at the table.

"That was Flynn, wasn't it?" she whispers.

The table laughs again.

* * *

**January 31**

They leave, after many days there at the safe house, and Jack's never been happier to move to another run down house.

He doesn't question when Elsa leaves a letter there in the bedroom Anna and Kristoff used to share.

No one else does either.

* * *

**February 5 **

"Get down, get down!"

Jack ducks down onto the gritty, hard ground just as the explosion rings out and a blinding flash, accompanied with a deafening bang, ring through the dead clearing of old trees.

There's coughing to his right, and screaming or crying to his left, and hazy smoke in his eyes. Jack blindly runs his fingers and pricks his palms on sharp rocks and glass and something wet, maybe blood, and when he touches warm flesh, he's so happy he might cry.

"Jack!" Astrid clutches at him tightly and openly sobs. "Flynn, he-"

"Did he die?" Jack doesn't know why he's yelling it. Astrid, a mess of soot and tears, burrows her head into Jack's shirt and shakes her head no.

"He was back there, when the explosion happened, I think he's the one who set off the mine."

Jack's vision is slowly returning and he looks around. Elsa's nowhere to be found, neither is Rapunzel, and Flynn's a no-show. Panicking, Jack pulls Astrid to his feet and he tries to find the person who had been coughing to his left, and then he pulls out his rifle, because he can spot a person moving, and it's no one from his team.

"Don't move," Jack tells Astrid, and then he points the gun towards the person on the floor.

"Hold on, don't shoot!" the person cries. Jack's able to make out the shape of the the person, a young girl, maybe around his age, dainty, with fairy-like features tinted with soot. Her brown hair, a short bob around her chin, is tarnished with dirt and streaks of green, blue, and gold. She scrambles away from the muzzle of Jack's gun and splays small hands towards him.

Jack keeps his gun trained, and the girl looks terrified, but then he hears a click of a gun loading, and then he turns to face another stranger, this one a tall man. A shorter, plump man has a knife next to Astrid's neck and holds her in a chokehold.

"Drop the gun, mate," the man holding the pistol trained on Jack says angrily. The girl on the floor whimpers, and Astrid makes a hissing sound because she's restrained.

Jack scowls but slowly lowers his weapon. The man holding Astrid releases her, but before Astrid can get a hit in, the man holds her fist in his own steadily, like he's practiced this.

"Aster," the girl breathes to the man thankfully, and she stands, and hugs the taller man.

"Tooth, are you alright, sheila?" Aster asks, and gives her hair a quick stroke. "I was worried that you had- you know-"

"No," Tooth mumbles. "No."

Aster turns towards Jack and Astrid, because Jack has been holding Astrid away from the two protectively.

"Were you going to shoot her?" he asks angrily.

"Were _you_ going to shoot _me_?" Jack shoots back.

Aster seems to think this over. "Maybe. If you had hurt Tooth."

"Then I would've shot her if you'd hurt Astrid," Jack bites back.

"She's your girlfriend then?" Aster crosses his arms, pistol dangling from one hand.

"No, but she's part of my team," Jack says.

"A zombie hunting team, then?" Aster raises his eyebrows.

"None of your business," Jack grabs Astrid's wrist. "Let's go find the others."

Tooth, Aster, and the short man watch the two walk away.

"He didn't hurt me," Tooth mutters to Aster.

"He would've," Aster dug his fingers into his shoulder and turns to the short man. "Come on Sandy, let's go find shelter."

"Everyone else does," Tooth whispers.

"Tooth-" Aster looks at her sadly. "No one's going to hurt you. Not ever again. I promise."

"I have to thank him," Tooth decides.

"He was planning to kill you!" Aster exclaims, but his words are lost on Tooth. Tooth walks after Jack, though he and Astrid have already gone. Aster looks at Sandy desperately.

"Is she serious?"

Sandy shrugs.

Meanwhile, Jack and Astrid, fumbling around and fearing that any of the other three are in danger, find Rapunzel hunched over Flynn's body while Elsa watches on in fear.

When Elsa sees Jack and Astrid, she exhales and runs towards the two. "Are you hurt?" she asks forcefully. Astrid shakes her head and so does Jack, and Elsa grabs Jack's face and pulls him in for a quick kiss before she grabs his hands.

"We thought we lost you," Elsa says breathlessly. "You and Astrid. We thought-"

"We thought that Flynn set off the mine," Jack says, and Elsa shakes her head quickly.

"No. It wasn't him. We found out what set it off was a bomb. Probably set there to test for mines, but we don't know who set the bomb there," Elsa says.

"I know," Jack clenches his fists. He seems to really see Flynn and Rapunzel for the first time. "What happened?"

"Flynn," Elsa mutters. "When the mine went off, everything exploded. Got a shard of rock in his shoulder. Rapunzel's wrapping it."

Jack can see that even while Rapunzel works, tears drip off her face and roll down her nose. His stomach clenches instantly and Astrid kneels next to Rapunzel to help her out.

"I never got your name."

Both Jack and Elsa jump when Jack sees the small fairy-like girl he almost killed standing there.

"What?" Jack says.

"My name's Tooth," Tooth says anyway, and then, surprising both Elsa and Jack, she gives him a hug.

"Ahem," Elsa coughs not so discreetly, and Tooth pulls away.

"Jack," Jack mumbles.

"I wanted to thank you," Tooth says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "For not killing me."

For some reason, this makes Jack feel worse than ever. The fact that this young girl, not much younger than he was, thought he was actually that heartless that he'd kill her, for no real reason other than to kill her, saddened him.

"It's nothing," Jack takes a careful step backward. "I would've done it for anyone."

"Are you going to introduce me?" Elsa's tone is cool and clipped.

"Elsa, this is Tooth," Jack says, though Elsa's eyes flash fire. "She's part of another team- the one that set off the bomb."

Elsa registers that, though. "You set that off?" She jabs a finger in Tooth's shoulder. "You wounded one of my men-"

"Elsa," Jack grasps Elsa's hand in his own and raises his eyebrows. "She didn't know-"

"Don't tell me she didn't know-"

"Because she didn't-"

"I am not arguing with you, Jack, so don't try and-"

"Elsa-"

"Jack-"

Jack shuts her up with a kiss, and when Elsa looks surprised, he smirks. Elsa smiles, finally, and she seems secure in the fact that she shouldn't feel threatened by a random girl from another team.

"I'm sorry about your team member," Tooth says regrettably. "We didn't know- but my friend set off the bomb. He said it looked like a mine."

"He was right," Elsa mutters, and then she looks at Tooth. "You all nomads?"

"Pretty much," Tooth shrugs, rubbing one shoulder with a hand. "We were going to look for shelter soon."

"We have space," Elsa replies almost instantly.

"Elsa-" Jack starts, just because Tooth doesn't seem strange, he doesn't like her companions.

"Jack," Elsa lifts her mouth so that it's level with Jack's ear and she whispers her next words. "They need help."

"You didn't meet _Mr. Keep-Your-Gun-Off-My-Girlfriend_," Jack protests.

"My name's Elsa," Elsa holds a hand out to Tooth, who accepts it. "That's Rapunzel over there, with the long hair. Then there's Astrid, the other girl. Then there's Flynn. How many are there in your team?"

Jack scowls, because the Elsa of a year ago wasn't this sociable, helping person, in fact, she'd been quite the opposite. Plus, while Elsa had been jealous of Tooth, Jack now found that he was jealous of the attention Elsa paid to Tooth.

He follows the two chatting girls sourly.

* * *

**February 7**

"Really?"

Jack wakes up to annoying girlish giggles. A quick trip to the kitchen reveals that Tooth, Rapunzel and Elsa have been getting along a little too well... he tells himself he isn't jealous, but he is. Astrid and Merida are there, too, but they're separate from the other three girls, lounging next to Toothless.

"I can't believe that," Rapunzel declares, wide-eyed to whatever Tooth was just saying.

"Ohmygod, but it's true! Isn't that the weirdest thing?" Tooth bounces up on her heels. Rapunzel bursts into laughter and Elsa starts to laugh too.

"The same thing happened to me," Elsa was saying when Jack poked his head into the room.

"Anyone seen Hiccup?" Jack asks, because he needs some male company at the moment.

"He went with Sandy on a walk," Tooth replies, pulling a stack of plates onto the counter next to Rapunzel, who lifts a serving spoon to fill them.

"Flynn, then?" Jack raises an eyebrow. He questions briefly who this "Sandy" is, but he remembers soon enough.

"Getting water with Aster," Rapunzel answers.

"Fine," Jack closes the door on the three girl, as they laugh and keep talking, and instead chooses to sit next to Astrid.

"I see you've gotten bored in there," Astrid smirks.

"Oh, shut up," Jack says.

He looks past Astrid to Merida and Toothless. Toothless keeps his hand on Merida's stomach tenderly, and Merida smiles, a genuine smile that she seems to only smile with Toothless.

Jack, of course, has to butt in.

"Sooo, will this kid be named after me?" he asks.

Smile gone, Merida shoots him an irritated glance. "Ah would never call my kid '_stupid arse_' if that's what you're askin'."

"Ouch. I'm hurt."

"Ah'll hurt ye if-"

"We were thinking about the name John," Toothless interrupts. "If it's a boy."

"No, we weren't," Merida says, looking at Toothless in annoyance. "John is a stupid name."

"So is Hamish, and you want that one," Toothless says. "Or Hurbert."

"Those were the names of my brothers!" Merida snaps, and Jack can see tears forming.

"Alright, just calm down, Mer, I was joking," Jack says quickly. "There's no reason to-"

Merida shoves Toothless away from herself and she stalks away angrily, not yelling like she usually does, but just hunches like she's mad.

"That's fucked up," Astrid shakes her head and relaxes on the couch, but she looks troubled. "Fucked up."

Toothless stands up and follows Merida.

"I didn't know, I swear-" Jack starts.

"Everyone's on edge," Astrid cuts him off. "Merida's just upset- her family and all. Don't take it personally."

"I won't, trust me," Jack mutters. "It might be hormones."

"Hormones aren't to blame for everything," Astrid says softly. "I think it's a little on the personal side."

"Okay, so I spoke out," Jack says. "It's not like-"

"You don't understand," Astrid bites out. "What she saw the night her brothers died." Astrid fiddles with her hands and her hair falls into her eyes as she ducks her head, not looking Jack in the eye.

"Don't tell me something you've got no idea about," Jack starts to get irritated. "I was just the same as her. I'm sorry if being pregnant reminds her of that."

He stalks away, and he hears Astrid sobbing softly behind him, and he feels bad for a while until she yells something offensive at his back.

That's more like it.

He slams the door behind him.

Curse her, curse Merida, forget them all... it seemed like whatever he did wasn't good enough for anyone. Like he was treading on thin ice and each movement set off enough cracks to make someone fall.

He isn't making himself feel any better.

* * *

**February 10**

"How long are they staying?"

Elsa looks to the bed, from where she's sitting at a cracked desk and writing something. Putting aside the partly crushed pen that leaked ink, the one she's been using, she folds her hands in her lap and locks eyes with Jack.

"They're just like us; travelers," Elsa says. "They'll leave when they want to. I'm not inviting them to join us."

"Are you sure? You and Tooth look close," Jack smirks and props himself up on one elbow.

"She's fun," Elsa smiles, a faraway look in her eyes. "Kind of like-" She stops there before she can keep talking and blooms bright red, and coughs, though Jack knows who she's talking about. "Kind of like...Rapunzel."

Jack knows that in a competition for optimism, pep, or being just plain excited, that Anna would beat Rapunzel. Barely, but still. And if the three were to group up- Jack knows they'd get along.

Elsa's trying, she is. She smiles, she laughs, she tries to get to know the others in the team like Jack knows them, but she isn't Anna.

All Elsa really wants is Anna.

"Yeah, she's a Rapunzel copy," Jack says instead of voicing all he's thinking about. Elsa forces a smile and takes her pen back in her hand, rubbing the spilling ink onto her worn jeans.

"Yeah," she says softly, half to herself and then her pen's back on the wrinkled paper on the desk.

"What are you writing?" Jack asks as the sounds of pen scratching on paper fills the room.

"Things," Elsa replies.

"Things?"

"Things."

Jack looks over at her. "What kind of things?"

"Just things."

"Like plans for raids?" Jack asks.

Elsa's voice is quiet when she speaks again. "No."

"Then what?"

"Just a diary-like thing," Elsa says. "For me."

"So I can't read it?"

"That's right."

"You're unfair."

"So is life."

Jack smiles up at her and Elsa's smile matches his own. He's missed this, just having her in his room, and now that she's better without Anna, the two were sharing a mattress again. It's selfish of Jack to feel happy, but he is. He loves her, after all.

"Are you going to sleep?" Jack stretches out on the mattress.

"I'm done," Elsa rubs her eyes and sets the sheet of paper into a drawer. "Scotch over."

Jack moves to the side to allow Elsa to lay down next to him before he drags a blanket up to the two of them. Before the night is over, it would be on the floor, seeing as neither of them cared for heat.

Still, he makes sure it's snug under their chins and he looks up at the ceiling. Elsa clings to his chest, tosses her right leg onto his, and snuggles into his neck.

"I missed you," she mumbles.

"Me too," Jack whispers.

She says something else that Jack can't catch, but he feels glad that she's recovering so he doesn't ask her to repeat herself.

Instead, he enjoys the feeling of actual slumber overtaking his senses.


	10. Don't Go

**Guys... I can't believe this. I could rant on and on about how much I do appreciate the support I've gotten for this story over this period of time. I know my last update was like last month, but I do hope that no one's given up on me just yet- because here it is. It sucks. It sucks so terribly that it's no wonder that I haven't finished any stories before this one. Yes, you read this right- this is the very last chapter of "Disasterology". Now that it's over, I feel conflicted. It was so much fun writing it, more importantly, it was challenging, and that's what I need as an author, to write things a little out of my comfort zone so that I can better. So thank you, Yamakiri, for asking me to write this for you. I loved the experience, and I hope that you liked the way I took your idea and sorta wrote it out for you. Your stories are much better, though, with the descriptions and imagery that I can't compete with and so yeah. **

**First thing's first: I'll say right now that the people who helped me write this entire story has been the person that talked me out of killing so many characters: bs13. Seriously. I contemplated killing off Elsa in the end, like I did in the first zombie apocalypse story I wrote, but decided not to because Jelsa gets a happy ending hurrah. Plus I bothered her about the story so many times, just stressing about writing and what to do and telling her I was stuck so there, I have to include her in my A/N. **

**Next thing that helped me write this story was my playlist, namely these bands: Panic! At the Disco, Pierce the Veil, Falling in Reverse, All Time Low, Mayday Parade, and Good Charlotte. (Great to listen to when you need inspiration, or feel sad, or just because they're awesome). **

**Second: In case you didn't already guess, the chapter titles have all been coming from one song. It is titled "****_Don't go_****" by Bring Me The Horizon. Beautiful song, amazing band. **

**Third: I cannot get over the amount of reviews, favorites, and follows that this story got in only ten chapters. Mainly, my reviewers, who convinced me to keep going with this story, because I wanted to give up several times over this weekend. I shouldn't even have spent time on this story at all because I have major finals tomorrow that I'm supposedly studying for right now. Without those reviewers that reviewed and never gave up on this, it probably would have not been finished. The Jelsa fandom is pretty welcoming, for the most part, and I'm glad to have gotten to know some great fans of the ship. **

**Here is a list of people that make this story a reality and keep me going: **

**JW **

**peanutbutterandgarlicgirl **

**wintersnowdayx **

**Guest **

**bs13 **

**EloquentEbony **

**007 **

**Shimmer Shine **

**DeniseAgron **

**Choco Vanilla Milk **

**nightmarefiore **

**qweenwillow **

**MissJordanMajdoch **

**FrostSapphire **

**I shall write a epilogue if enough people review and ask for one. Because otherwise, it's open-ended. I can't believe it's finally finished and done with, so here's the last chapter of Disasterology, finishing off with its last song. I figured it ought to end with the song that started the entire thing: **

**_"If it's the end of the world, you and me should spend the rest of it in love!"_****Disasterology**** by Pierce the Veil. **

* * *

**February 17**

Jack's fingers shakily reload his gun, hot tears streaming down his face, pressing himself flat against the crumbling brick wall that is his only savior.

He can still hear it. Ringing in his ears.

Elsa's cry for help.

It probably had only been minutes since he heard it. But he feels like it's been two seconds ago. He didn't go to help her. Dammit, where was Rapunzel? Hadn't she been with Elsa? Where was Astrid? Where was Sandy? Or even Aster? He hadn't seen them since the house they had broken into proved to be full of undead creatures.

He remembers running. Astrid tried to stick with him. They got separated on the second floor of the house, when she fell through broken stairs. Stupid Jack. Why didn't you help her? Oh, right, because she yelled at you not to. Because they were gaining on the two and Jack had to get away.

Zombie hunting isn't pretty.

Fuck, it's not even ugly. It's gruesome and terrible and it's a constant reminder that the good ones die young. Jack doesn't want to think that Elsa's died. She's come so far and recovered so much. Or any of them, for the matter. He doesn't want to admit it to himself yet, but he knows it's inevitable: he'd been just as distressed if they died like his family. In a way, they're his new family. Jack clutches at the wall and stands, gun splayed out to face anyone that might surprise him as he rounds the corner.

There's nothing there. But then there is.

He presses the trigger repeatedly as if it were a machine gun, fells the bullets whizz past and find new homes in the sagging green flesh of his companions. He watches them fall. He watches as they don't move. He shoots them more times than is necessary and maybe that's just what he needs.

He's scared, he's horrified, he's running as fast as he can as soon as these _things_ are killed.

Jack runs down those stairs, taking them three at a time, gun flopping at his side. He thinks that maybe this mission's gone wrong.

He doesn't want to think that.

"Elsa?" he calls, banging on any open door he encounters, finally pausing before one at the end of the hall. "Elsa!"

He hears a soft cry, but it's not the usual sobbing he might encounter a member of his team producing.

"Jack," he then hears a teary voice exclaim, one he matches to Rapunzel, who in turn comes out of the room. Her face isn't grief sad, it's a happy face of tears. Jack hopes that it means nothing is wrong, and Rapunzel shoves him into the room.

"Shh," he hears Elsa coo before he actually sees it.

The room is a sight. Broken crib, torn, filthy blankets, blue wallpaper printed with ducks that is tarnished brown with grime, and a broken baby mobile that nearly hits him in the eye.

Sitting on the crib's mattress, on the floor, Elsa cradles a small bundle in her arms and smiles down at it.

"I-" Jack looks around. Astrid's there, so is Sandy, so is Aster, all of them standing by the door.

"Isn't he precious?" Rapunzel asks Jack. "We found him here in this room."

Jack goes to Elsa's side and looks down at it. It's a small baby, maybe around a few months, and it yawns with a small mouth and lifts a tiny hand in an excited manner. Elsa presses a kiss against the baby's hand.

Jack stares at it, still in shock. Here he thought Elsa was in trouble- she must've been, if the zombies had been after her- but she held a baby. A living, breathing being that reminded him of his little sister and he took a step back. The room suddenly feels too small. Elsa's holding a baby.

The story pieces together. No doubt Elsa was calling for help so that someone could fend the zombies off the baby. The zombies... that must've been what they were looking for in the house. A fresh source of meat, small and defenseless and ready as a quick snack. That just makes Jack feel sicker and he starts breathing heavier.

"I cleaned him up," Elsa tells Jack softly. He forces a smile. "Whoever left him, it was recent. He hadn't been changed in at least two days." _Alright. Too much information. _

"No bodies?" Jack asks, because bodies, bodies he can do. He can't do babies.

Elsa shakes her head. "None. Some blood-" She tilts her head towards the wallpaper. "I think it must've been his parents."

"His-?" Jack's about to question why she knows it's a boy before common sense kicks in. He peers at the wall paper, and the fading yellow of the ducks is splattered with rusty red, dried stains of blood, and he feels dizzy. Something this innocent and representative of childhood stained with death. A baby, so little and helpless, probably watched as his parents were murdered- and then, the baby gave a little coo and kicked eagerly in Elsa's arms.

"Can we keep him?" Rapunzel begs, and she bounces on her heels.

"We can't leave him," Elsa says, and she stands. "Jack, will you hold him while we take him back to the safe house?"

"No," Jack blurts before he can stop himself. Everyone stares. "I-I mean, not right now. I can't."

"Okay," Elsa mutters, but her blue eyes connect with Jack's and they speak volumes. She's worried. "Aster?"

"Hand the little bugger over here," Aster smiles- actually smiles- and Jack has to look twice to make sure that this is the same man who threatened to kill him. Elsa lays the baby in Aster's arms, and Aster keeps his smile.

"You alright?" Astrid asks Jack in a low voice as they leave this house. Sandy and Rapunzel carry supplies they've scavanged, Aster carries the baby, and Elsa strides ahead.

"Fine," Jack keeps his eyesight on Elsa's back. "Just fine."

* * *

**February 19**

"It likes soup," Hiccup says fondly. "Shame there's no milk."

"It?" Tooth gives Hiccup a swat. "_He_ is a cutie! Look at him!" Then, suddenly, her eyes goes wide. "How long do you think it'll take him to grow teeth?" Her fingers move to probe at the baby's gums.

"Alright, sheila, hands off the kid," Aster sits down next to Tooth and grins, taking Tooth's small wrist.

"Sorry," Tooth shrugs her shoulders sheepishly. To everyone else, she informs them, "I just love teeth."

Jack looks at the three at the table. The baby's propped up in a makeshift baby seat courtesy of Hiccup, made of smooth wood, free of splinters due to Hiccup's precision with sawing them off. He smiles, kicks, and makes little noises whenever Hiccup brings a silver spoon of chicken broth to his mouth.

Toothless comes up behind Jack and gives him a nod. Jack looks at him and gives a brief nod back.

"I'm not going to say anything," Toothless says in a manner that means his is going to say something, "But everyone's been pretty excited about the kid. Even Merida, and she's been blaming me for sticking her with a child for months. Except for you."

"It's a baby," Jack says, "I don't know what's the big deal."

Toothless nods, and he looks at the three crowded around the baby. "It is pretty cute." Jack huffs.

"Does he have a name?" Tooth asks excitedly.

"Jamie."

Jack, along with the others, turn to face Elsa, who walks into the kitchen. She sits down on the table, apart from the baby and the rest.

"His name. I found it in his room. It's Jamie," Elsa says.

"Jamie!" Tooth exclaims. The baby looks at her and gurgles. "Oh, it is his name!"

Jamie is an ordinary baby. Blue eyes, brown hair, he smiles at anyone that looks at him in a caring way. Jack doesn't know why he's so conflicted over the presence of a baby.

"Does he need to get changed?" Tooth asked. "Oh, Hiccup, burp him! Every baby has to burp after he eats."

Hiccup lifts Jamie from his seat and lays his small body over his shoulder, patting his back gingerly. "Why do babies burp?"

"Typical only child," Tooth says, and Jack knows that Hiccup probably told her all about his childhood sob story (mom died, dad raised him but never liked him), and she lays her hand over Hiccup's, showing him the right amount of pressure, firm but soft. "I had so many sisters growing up, and I always changed them."

"He's not- oh, gross. There. He's not burping, he's vomiting!" Hiccup groans as Jamie spits up over his shirt, and Jack laughs.

Jamie gives a small smile and coos.

"He is so cute!" Tooth declares.

"Cute? He just threw up on me!" Hiccup moans.

Tooth takes Jamie from Hiccup. Jamie instantly starts fretting, little hands outstretched towards Elsa.

"Look, he wants to go with Elsa," Tooth admires him. "It's like he thinks she's his mommy!"

For some reason, Jack feels his stomach drop.

Elsa takes Jamie and laughs as he bounces around in her arms, and then she gives the baby a kiss. Jack wants to feel jealous, but he can't. She looks happy, genuinely happy since Anna left, and he doesn't want that smile on her face to ever go away.

He wants to see that smile for the rest of his life.

* * *

**February 28 **

Everyone loves Jamie.

Merida and Rapunzel laugh as they change his diapers (made of torn cloth, because Rapunzel can sew).

Toothless smiles as he feeds him. It's usually him or Aster that lay him to sleep on a mattress, and everyone takes turns keeping him in their room. Jack's thankful that Jamie hasn't slept with him and Elsa yet.

Even Astrid, tough as she lets on to be, plays with him, while Hiccup attempts to play along with the baby as well - Jamie's a little afraid of Hiccup for some reason.

Tooth's a natural with the kid, and she and Sandy always try and teach him things (though Jack wants to remind them that this baby can't be more than four months old).

Flynn pretends he's too cool for the baby, but Jack's caught him talking to Jamie in a silly voice a few times.

And Elsa... Elsa has taken a real shine to Jamie. Jamie prefers Elsa out of everyone, it seems, and Elsa always loves to spend time with him.

Jack tells himself that he isn't jealous of a baby, because that would be ridiculous, but he kind of is.

Today, for example, Elsa's changing his diaper and Hiccup's cooking for Jamie. Jack just watches.

"You're a sweet little baby, aren't you?" Elsa nuzzles Jamie's nose and the baby gurgles. "Yes you are-"

Jack wants to vomit.

"_Here comes the sun_-" Hiccup's singing from the kitchen. Actually singing. Singing an old song Jack remembers from his childhood, by a popular band he can't quite place, and Hiccup never sings.

He knows that he should feel glad, that everyone's finally acting happy, but he can't because he feels like everyone's moving on without him. They've all lost their original path as a team, and he can't stand it. So he exits the room and hopes no one notices.

No one does.

* * *

**March 4**

"You don't mind if he sleeps here, right?" Elsa lays Jamie down on the mattress, right next to where Jack is lying down.

"You're going to put him down anyway, aren't you."

"Uh-huh," Elsa places the baby and wraps him up in blankets, washed fresh by Rapunzel.

Jack watches the baby kick and struggle in the blankets and hears Elsa laugh, eyes smiling. He scoots over a little bit so that the three of them can all lay down comfortably.

Jamie makes a sudden loud noise and his hands splay onto Jack's sleeve.

"He likes you," Elsa whispers. "Pick him up."

Uncertainly, Jack reaches for the baby and his hands cradle his body.

"Hold his head," Elsa says.

Jack places his hand under the baby's neck and let Jamie's head rest on it. His other hand circles around Jamie's small bottom and he lifts him into his arms, sitting up on the mattress. Jamie's eyes start to close and he yawns, his mouth stretching.

Elsa sits next to Jack and places a hand on Jamie's head, brushing his brown hair off the baby's forehead. She moves closer to Jack and Jamie and the three peacefully sit in silence.

"You would be a great father," Elsa murmurs, nudging her head into Jack's neck.

Jack looks down at the baby in his arms, and then at the girl at his side, and he can't help but to feel like this is what he's always wanted.

He shouldn't want it, he doesn't deserve it, but he wants to keep it anyway. He feels like there's so many moments like these that he can just grasp in his hands and hold but they always slip away like water dripping through cracks.

Once he's sure that Elsa's asleep, and so is Jamie, he lets himself rest. "I love you," he mutters, and this time, he directs it at both.

* * *

**March 7**

"He is such a cute guy," Tooth is saying as Jack walks into the living room. He can see that Tooth, Elsa, Rapunzel, and Merida are all gathered on a couch, Jamie perched in Elsa's arms. Jack ducks behind the door because he feels like this topic is interesting.

"I guess he is," Elsa blushes and strokes Jamie's hair. "Don't tell him I said that. It'll just puff him up."

"Or it'll puff up that stupid hair o' his," Merida rolls her eyes. "Ah dunno how ye stand the lad, Elsa. He's nothin' but a prick."

"A cute prick!" Tooth exclaims. "Have you seen his teeth? Mother of God, they're just like freshly fallen snow. He must be a great kisser. What's he like?"

"Well-" Elsa just blushes deeper. "I-I don't want to talk about it."

"He must be great!" Tooth declares.

"If he's as good of a kisser as Flynn, he would be," Rapunzel dreamily interjects, placing her head on her hands. "Come on, Elsa, we've got to know!"

"It's probably because the lassie doesn' want tae share anythin' about Frost," Merida says, "An' who can blame her. He's naught but a pain in the arse and he must stink at kissin'."

_Thanks, Merida,_ Jack thinks. _You never disappoint._

"Oh, but besides that. Have you seen the way the two of you act?" Tooth moves on excitedly. "Someday, when I find the person I love, he's going to look at me the way Jack looks at you, Elsa."

"Love?" Elsa mutters. Jamie gurgles and kicks. "Jack doesn't love me."

"Of course he does. You can see it," Tooth says. "Just the way he smiles when he sees you. When he acts all jealous because Aster's got a little crush on you-"

_Hold on, this was the first time Jack heard about this. Well, he'd better squash that guy's hopes quicker than-_

"I don't know," Elsa chews her bottom lip. "I've already decided that I'm going to- adopt Jamie, sort of. Not legally, because that's not possible, just raise him like my son. But what kind of guy wants to be with a girl that has a kid?"

"A good one," Merida says, no doubt thinking of Toothless, "And no offense, but Jack's probably not up fer that."

As if, Merida. Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about.

"What do you mean?" Rapunzel questions. "Jack's great with Jamie. Okay, not great, but he's trying."

"Exactly. Tryin'. Ye and I know Jack better than anyone here, Punzel, and that's why we both know how he gets around kids. Remember his sister?" Merida says.

"So he's still upset over Emma," Rapunzel mutters. Her voice lowers even more. "I'm still sad about my mother."

"Everyone's sad," Merida says, and her voice cracks, probably thinking of her own parents and brothers. "That's not the point. The thing is, Elsa, if Jack doesn't like ye the way ye are, than he's not the guy ah think he is. Even if he's a stupid arsehole he's in love with yeh."

"I see," Elsa says, and when she lifts her head, Jack can see that she's crying, but happy tears. Jamie seems to sense that she's sad so he smiles a gap toothed smile and kicks in her arms. Elsa laughs through her tears and kisses his head. "I-I don't know."

"Ah don't blame ye if you don't love 'im back, honestly, no sane girl would like Frost-" Merida jabbers on.

_Shut up, Merida. _

"I think it's sweet," Tooth says, "He totally would raise Jamie with you. The two of you, as parents, with a baby-"

"I-" Elsa looks at Jamie again.

"Oh, it's a shame about the zombie hunting," Rapunzel laments. "I guess if you guys want to keep doing that, well-"

"We're not going to be doing this for the rest of all our lives," Tooth points out. "There's got to be an alternative."

"Think of Anna and Kristoff," Merida adds. On the side, Rapunzel tells Tooth the story. "Those two crazy kids went an' found happiness."

Elsa's completely still and she clutches Jamie a little tighter. "They could be dead right now."

"No, no, they're not," Rapunzel quickly interjects, seeing as Elsa's getting that same blank look in her eyes she had the day Anna left. "They're just fine and that's all. What Merida is trying to say is that maybe we should all- you know- go our separate ways."

"Dissemble the team?" Elsa looks at all of them.

"Yer the leader, lass," Merida says softly. "It's your choice."

"If it's what you all want," Elsa mutters.

"It doesn't really matter to me," Rapunzel pauses. "I mean, there's got to be something out there, right? We're not the only survivors."

"If there are other survivors, there might be a town or something," Merida suggests.

"Oh!" Tooth perks up. "I've heard things; from other people when we were traveling, about a town that people might have inhabited. Apparently, that's where all the surviving doctors and teachers and anyone have gone. That there's actual houses and stores and that people live like they used to. But; it's just tales. No one I talked to knew where it was."

"If we could find that place, it would solve so much!" Rapunzel says. "Any ideas?"

"They mentioned in the Los Angeles Area," Tooth says, "But I don't know how far away that is."

"Three day journey," Elsa says, "If my calculations are correct, the way we've been traveling."

Merida bites her lip. "Is it worth it?"

"If you guys think so," Elsa smiles, and she looks at Jamie.

Jack feels his blood run stale.

* * *

**March 8**

It's not like he likes zombie hunting. But it's all he knows. What is he supposed to do? Just give it up? It's hard to fathom. He'll live like he used to.

But he's not sure if he wants to. It's his outlet, it's his way of avenging his family, and there's no one that's more important.

Unfortunately, he knows that that isn't true. There's someone else that he ranks high above everyone else.

Elsa.

Truthfully, if she wanted to give up zombie hunting, he'd say yes. Yes to going with her.

* * *

**March 12**

Tooth, Aster, and Sandy have left. They declined Elsa's offers about joining the team or traveling with them to this so-called city. Instead, they expressed wishes of seeing everyone again someday.

The only thing Jack does is accept Sandy's warm handshake, Tooth's excited hug (and a pull at his lips with her fingers) and a half-hearted goodbye from Aster.

Jack makes sure Aster is an acceptable distance from Elsa when they both bid each other goodbye.

* * *

**March 22**

Elsa tells them all about the city. Jack makes sure to act excited or impassive and somehow has a weird look on his face the entire time.

They all agree to try and look for it.

Jack doesn't sleep that night.

* * *

**March 23**

It's cold outside and the wind is blowing, but a group of nine people struggle against the stinging breeze. They're loaded with guns, ammo, food, and blankets.

Flynn and Rapunzel walk off on the side together. Astrid and Hiccup argue about something. Merida is walking too fast and Toothless is fretting over if she's supposed to do that when she's pregnant. Jack hangs back at the end of the group, supposing that he ought to walk with Elsa in the front of the group, but he can't. She's keeping Jamie close to her heart, blankets covering him head to toe so he won't catch cold, and she leads the group with the dignity of a queen.

It's such a long time since he called her Queen Elsa.

* * *

**March 24**

Flynn and Rapunzel are the first to leave the group. It's not like they planned it, either. Walking through the countryside, Rapunzel spots a house that's something only she would find beautiful. She decides that she wants to stay, seeing the flowers blooming and a small garden prospering, with a spring only a little distance away.

The others disagree, at first, but Rapunzel wants to be there among the grass and flowers. Flynn, of course, loving her, wants to stay with her.

There's a teary hug by Rapunzel who cries about missing them all and that no matter what, that they'd always be a family, plus a one-handed back slap by Flynn and Jack and the others are on their way again.

* * *

**March 25**

Hiccup and Astrid leave next. They might be an odd couple, who always fight, and manage to anger each other before the day is done, but they find themselves a house surrounded by scrap metal and rusty tools, most likely once a car garage, and Hiccup fell in love.

Elsa worries that they might not find food or that they might run into trouble, but Astrid insists that they have plenty of canned food, and well, what was a little raid once in a while? Maybe, like Rapunzel had planned to do in her country home, they'd plant a garden. Hiccup said that weapons were not a problem for him and that they'd come easy.

Leaving them is harder than yesterday. Maybe it's because Hiccup was always there when Jack needed him and Astrid was always snarky but welcome whenever she spoke to Jack.

"Take care of yourself," Hiccup hugs Jack, and Jack hugs him back.

"Don't die or I'll punch you in the face," is Astrid's goodbye, but then she's crying and Jack hugs her tighter than he did with Hiccup.

* * *

**March 26**

They stop for rest. Toothless builds a campfire and offers first watch, but Jack takes it and Toothless falls asleep spooning Merida.

Elsa lays Jamie down in a mass of blankets and joins Jack where he's perched on a tree stump.

"You've been avoiding me," she mumbles. Jack turns to look at her, all beautiful, hair pinned back in her neat braid, but the white standing out in the night. Blue eyes shine with worry and hurt and Jack lets himself touch her after days of not doing so, just curling an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close.

"I don't know anymore."

Elsa looks up at him. "It's okay, you know," she murmurs. "Not being ready to settle down. I understand."

"It's not you, it's me."

"I get that," Elsa says calmly. "And if you don't want to come to the city with us, say the word. You can keep zombie hunting."

"It won't be the same," Jack admits, "Without the team. I already miss them. I just don't know if I want to keep living like I have been, when I've got a chance to live again."

"We talked about getting a house together," Elsa says quietly. "Me, Jamie, Merida and Toothless. We want you there. I-" she blushes and looks down. "I want you there. I guess that if you want, I'll leave you alone-"

"Don't go."

Jack knows what she's trying to say, that she wants him to live with her and Jamie and be a happy family or whatever. Elsa is tense under his arms and he relaxes, and gradually, so does she.

"I want to be with you, too," Jack mutters. "No- I don't want to be with you, Elsa. I need to be with you." He turns to look her in the eye. "I've been loosing my mind, not having you here, and maybe I want to- Jesus fucking Christ, I sound like a sap."

"No," Elsa smiles, relieved that he feels the same way she does. "I like you when you're sappy. Go on."

"I guess I want to marry you," Jack blurts out.

"So, this is your strange idea of a marriage proposal."

"No- goddamnit, Elsa, I love you. There. I said it," Jack says.

Elsa's eyes soften carefully and she slowly, tentatively, leans in to give Jack a kiss.

Her lips are cold and so are his and neither of them mind, because it brings back memories and pleasant things and when Elsa boldly sucks on his lower lip, her lets his hand run through her hair and unpin it from her hairstyle. They probably kiss for a long time, molding into each other, exploring their lips and letting their hands take a few stolen caresses over their backs, necks, faces, anyplace they can reach.

"I love you, too," Elsa says when they finally part. "Yes, I'll marry you."

"I knew you'd come around."

Elsa can't help it, she rolls her eyes. "Cocky, aren't you?"

"Hmm- who just accepted my proposal?" Jack presses a kiss to Elsa's neck. "You're stuck with me."

"I don't mind," Elsa pulls him in for another kiss.

* * *

**March 28**

The city is just like they imagined. It's bustling and busy and full of people, and the weary travelers pause before a giant gate.

Instantly they're being ushered by a kind nurse who wants them all to undergo medical checks and and to insure that they're okay, and they're all yanked towards a building.

It's a luxury, just to sit on a bed and wash up properly. Jack knows that if Hiccup was here that he would want to wonder how they could get irrigation and plumbing connected in the city and other stuff like that.

Life is actually looking up for everything. They're promised placement into a house, regular medical visits, and food, just like how it used to be. Merida and Toothless have an ultrasound and are delighted to discover that their baby is healthy and fine, though they don't know the sex or they won't tell because Jack honestly has no idea how the process works.

Today, Elsa and Jack get a small apartment, next door to Merida and Toothless. It's barren, tiny, with a few beds and appliances that Jack has missed. A stove, for one. How long has it been since they cooked on one? Open flame and tin, rusted pots have been all they functioned with all these months. Then a microwave. A gift from the Gods, more like.

Then there's the food that he hasn't had in such a long time, vegetables and fruits that the people in the city have been growing. Jack wishes that the group had all stayed together at this point of time, because life can finally be normal again.

There's a bathroom with a working toilet and bath and Jack can safely say that using a toilet is much better than using the woods. Safer, too. Elsa laughs when he tells her this, and gets offended when he asks how she used to go.

A bedroom with a crib for Jamie and then a bed for the two of them. An actual bed. Jack sits on it like a little kid might for about ten minutes, and Elsa literally has to pull him away to go see the washing machine and the fireplace.

It's a beautiful house. Not beautiful in extravagance or even decorations, but just because of the people there that made it a home. Standing next to him, overlooking the city through a window, there is the reason he's home.

Elsa looks at Jack and passes him Jamie, and Jack accepts the baby.

"He's waking up," Elsa smiles down at him. "Oh, he's going to be a crazy child. I can tell." Jamie kicks his small legs and stretches his hands towards Elsa, spitting up a little.

Jack kisses Jamie's head. "He is our kid, after all."

"_Our_ kid?" Elsa looks at Jack, and he can see the start of tears forming in her eyes.

"Our kid," Jack confirms, giving Jamie another kiss. Cradling him in one arm, Jack takes his other hand and intertwines it with Elsa's.

"Our kid," Elsa repeats blissfully, and she leans up to look at Jack again.

"I love you, you know."

"Yeah, I do. I think I love you too."

"As if. You always knew."

"Cocky."

"You know you love it."

"No- I just love you."

"You get the whole package, honey."

"I can't believe I'm marrying you."

"Get used to it."

"I guess I still love you."

"I couldn't stop loving you if I tried."

Jack leans down to give Elsa a kiss.


	11. Epilogue

***whispers* Can this count as an epilogue? I know, I left many loose ends here in the fanfiction- but I'm not sure, maybe I'll rewrite this entire thing someday- but not when I'm trying to write all these other stories. This one might not be an ideal ending, but I did struggle with ending it so very much, so here, have a rather shitty ending to a poorly written fanfic. I want to thank everyone who favorited it, followed it, reviewed to it especially because you guys are the reason I keep writing. I keep trying to better my writing, work some more on bettering myself as a writer, and that's why I loved this fanfiction, because it really challenged me. Who knows, maybe I'll write some more Jelsa in the future. **

* * *

It was fucking cold, and Jack Frost was tired of waiting.

He's pacing outside, cold night air seeping past the layers of clothing he wears, (and he's suited up well for snow- he's actually wearing shoes this time) eyes flickering to the brightly lit house behind him.

He's nervous. Worried. Not for himself, but for his wife. Because he can be. Because it's been three years.

Because Elsa was going to see her sister again.

It took some time, and a lot of bribing, heck, Jack even tried to hack into a government database, but they found Anna and Kristoff alive and well. Elsa insisted that it made no difference now that she was married, working, and had her child, but Jack knew that she slept better at night, nightmares coming less frequently.

He knew Elsa blamed herself for dragging Anna into a zombie hunting lifestyle, something Jack always told her wasn't her fault, but it was something she'd never believe.

Time had only bettered the lives they lived, in fact, everything was just about as normal as it was before the zombie outbreak.

A lot's changed since they were a zombie hunting team.

Rapunzel and Flynn still had their countryside home, and from what Jack learned, Rapunzel was expecting and Flynn was working in the police force; they talked about getting married rather soon.

Astrid and Hiccup had restored that old garage to its full glory, and Hiccup began forging weapons as a hobby with the help of Astrid, and from there, a business flourished.

"Oi, ye gonna stand there all day, Frost?"

He recognizes that voice and he turns, instantly, with a smile. Merida's stamping through the snow, a grin on her freckled face, pale cheeks flushed with red, a blue beanie flopping in the wind where it was shoved haphazardly in her red curls.

And it's so different.

Because she's smiling, and almost five years ago, in a similar situation, she'd been scowling.

"Took you long enough," he borrows his own words, but he doesn't mind when Merida crushes him in a hug because his own hold seems desperate. Not just for her, but for himself.

They both need it, frankly.

"How's Elsa?" Merida asks, pulling out of the hug, her blue eyes shining with concern.

"She says she's fine. I'm not sure if she is," Jack admits. "Well, she's getting Jamie ready right now, then we're all going to Anna's place."

"I was talking to Punzie. She's all set to leave, too," Merida says, smiling again. "Just like- 'ey! Toothless!"

Toothless came struggling up after Merida, shaking his leg where a small child was attached to it, another child snuggled into his arms.

"Could've helped back there," Toothless grumbles, shoving strands of black hair out of his face where the wind tangled it.

"Ah, you've got 'em," Merida dismisses his statement with a wave of her hand.

"Mommy!" the little boy attached himself to Merida's leg next.

"John, John, leave Mommy's leg alone," Toothless sighs.

"Come 'ere ye little rascal," Merida bends to pick up her kid, smiling as his arms hugged her neck.

"Elinor's still sleeping," Toothless cuddles their young daughter, her black hair strayed over her father's chest, one blue eyes opening to give a yawn before she burrowed back into Toothless' arms.

"What, no hello for your uncle, kid?" Jack held his arms open.

"Uncle Jack!" John rushes to give Jack a huge hug.

"Alright, alright-" Jack laughs and lifts John up into the air, much to the delighted screams of the child.

"Don't annoy Uncle Jack," Toothless reprimands.

"He can annoy Frost if he wants," Merida shoots her husband a glare.

"We have to get going," Jack perches John on his shoulders, letting his friend's kid grip on his hair.

"Yeah, yeah- where's yer wife?" Merida crosses her arms.

"She takes forever getting ready- there she is."

And then he smiles, genuinely, as Elsa holds Jamie's hand in her own and approaches the five of them.

She's so beautiful and it surprises him sometimes that she's his.

Jamie's been shoved into several winter coats- no doubt his wife's work, she was paranoid about keeping him safe- though Elsa's winter wear is more downplayed.

And he remembers all she'd said before, how the cold never bothered her, and then she smiles at his own grin.

"We're ready," Elsa presses a kiss to the corner of Jack's mouth, while Jamie whines about wanting to stay home, and she reaches up to grip John in her own arms while Jack bends to comfort his son.

"C'mon, squirt, it'll be fun. Don't you miss all your aunts and uncles?" Jack musses Jamie's brown hair happily, fixing the black beanie Elsa had put on him.

"Okay," Jamie mumbles, sure that his parents will punish him if he says anything else, and lets Merida give him a messy smack on the cheek. Jack takes his son's hand and gestures to Merida and Toothless that they ought to leave, which they do, all the time Toothless struggling with both of his kids while Merida chatters on with Elsa.

It's comforting, the familiarity of it all, by the time Anna's home comes into view. It's a fairly beautiful home, a quaint cottage, one that makes Merida nod in appreciation but makes Elsa's breath come in labored gasps.

Jack sends Jamie ahead with Toothless (leaving him with three children to hassle with) and hangs back, looking at his wife anxiously.

"Are you alright?" he asks, quietly.

She shakes her head, just barely. "I don't know, it's just- I haven't seen her in years."

"Hey," Jack grips her shoulders and looks into her eyes. "You've got this, okay? She's your younger sister. She loves you."

"I don't know if I'm ready to forgive her," Elsa blurts, her eyes wide, the blue looking shrunken in her ashen face. For a split second, Jack sees that terrified young girl that he tried to desperately to hate, and his old emotions come back in a rush, the worry and the hurt and the anger all at once. "She left us, Jack, she left us when I needed her- when we needed each other-"

Jack kisses her, softly, and it takes a while, but Elsa tentatively kisses him back, standing on her tiptoes, pushing into the snow underfoot.

"You're going to be fine," he whispers, just so she can hear, a gentle finger prodding her chin up so that she'll meet his gaze.

Her face softens and she nods, just barely, and he places an arm around her to help her build the confidence she needs to confront her sister again.

Jack pushes open the door to the yells and laughter of everyone he knows, loves, and misses.

Rapunzel has Flynn's arm draped over her shoulder, while Merida pats Rapunzel's round stomach, no doubt cooing about her baby.

Astrid is sitting on Hiccup's lap, though his face is red, probably complaining about her weight or something, and she's all too happy to shove her elbows into her boyfriend's ribs.

John, Jamie, and a newly awoken Elinor are running around the brightly colored rug, chasing and playing with an unfamiliar little girl that can only belong to two people, judging by the scruffy blond hair and blue eyes.

Anna's standing by the doorway, Kristoff a few paces behind her, and her face is apologetic, eyes teary, as she gazes at the newcomers.

"I didn't even know you had a kid," she says, her voice thick with emotion, and of all things to say to the sister after so much time, that was it. Her hand goes to press against her mouth, tears falling freely now, and Jack thinks about how weathered Anna looks, older than she used to look, like worry had aged her.

"I-I didn't either," Elsa mumbles, softly, looking at the floor. "That you had a child, that is." Her hands moved to squeeze Jack's, and he nodded at her to let her know that she wasn't alone.

"Her name is Mary," Anna says, in a low voice, almost like she was scared. "I- I had her about two years ago. I know I should've told you, or something-" Her eyes landed on Jamie, and she looked up at Jack and Elsa, forcing a smile. "He looks so big."

"Just turned four," Elsa looks her sister in the eyes, her own strained smile growing on her lips. "We- ah- found him one day. On a raid. He was a baby then, he's grown some."

"I'm an aunt," Anna whispers, half to herself, studying Jamie's playing form.

"It's not by blood, I understand-"

"No, Elsa," Anna cuts her off, and that shocks both sisters, them looking at each other, just her name bringing this on. "He's every bit my nephew."

Elsa smiles, a real smile this time. "He's my son, through and through, even if I never gave birth to him."

It's rushed, and happens all at once, but Anna and Elsa hug. Anna's head burrows into the crook of Elsa's neck, and Elsa's chin rests on the top of Anna's head, but it's sweet.

Anna's sobbing, Elsa's choking back tears.

"I'm sorry," Anna cries, "I shouldn't have left, I should've told you."

"No," Elsa's eyes are getting red. "No, it was my fault, Anna. You never belonged there, it was always my fault."

"It wasn't your fault!"

Everything is a mess of tears and apologies, and Jack smiles at it, because they forgive each other.

It's enough to bring a room together.

And it does. Astrid punches Jack's arm, Flynn slaps Jack's back, Kristoff ruffles his hair like a patronizing older brother, Rapunzel kisses his ear and Hiccup swats at Jack's shoulder.

"Guys," Jack laughs, but he pinches Hiccup between the shoulder blades and it sends the man into a girlish yelp, letting the other laugh.

It's comforting, it is. Merida scowls playfully as Flynn flirtatiously puts his hand on her waist, Rapunzel grabs Kristoff and wants to hear every last detail of everything they've been up to, Astrid braids Toothless' hair though he laughs, Jack tosses his legs into Hiccup's lap.

"Still the ass I know," Hiccup smiles but makes no move to shove Jack's shins away.

"Always will be, Hic."

Anna is showing Elsa around her little home, and they hold hands like little kids might do, but it's enough for Elsa.

She's smiling and laughing and looking happier than she ever had been before and Jack grins because she does, and it's all he needs.

Everyone's happy.

He's married with a wonderful woman, with an amazing son.

He has great friends- no, a great family.

When he looks at them all, there's no longer the screams or terror that he heard and saw in their younger faces.

There's no longer the prissy team leader, it's just Elsa.

There's no longer the cold-hearted second in command, it's just Jack.

There's no danger. There's no threats. There's just them.

It's really everything he thought he could never have but does have.

Elsa sits next to Jack on the couch, Anna flanking her other side, laughing at something that her younger sister has said and it's okay.

He holds Elsa's hand in her own.

She smiles up at Jack.

Everything that they've been through is just that, the past. There's just now, and it's all anyone needs.

It's perfect.

It only took three years.

Jack's looking at Elsa, and she's not the girl who locked herself in a room, she's his wife.

His thumb rubs circles in the soft skin of her hand and Elsa kisses his jaw quickly, just once, smiling into his chin.

He has a family. He has Elsa and Jamie.

It's like he never left that room, several years ago, when the entire team was huddled around for Christmas.

And when he sits among them, holding Elsa's hand, he's finally home.


End file.
